Perspectives on Ethnic Conflict in Indian Politics

Abstract

Few images have better portrayed Indian society as beset by ethnic conflict as the physical destruction of the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodyha in December 1992. The violence which accompanied the destruction drew parallels with the partition of India. Although these events were quite dramatic, their symbolism disguises an obvious fact: that Indian politics, since the early 1980s, have become increasingly besieged by ethnic conflicts which range from ‘civil wars’ in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Assam to major discontent in the Hindi heartland. Non-territorial forms of ethnic mobilization, for or against affirmative action, have also been prominent. In brief, India like most multinational states, is experiencing an ethnic revival and the future of Indian democracy, in the short and medium terms, seems largely contingent on its ability to manage, contain and, if possible, resolve these conflicts.