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Over the last decade, the focal point of the communal tension has been the site of the disputed Babri Mosque in Ayodhya which was destroyed in 1992.

In the 2002 Gujarat violence of February/March 2002, about 58 Hindu passengers died in a fire on a train, and at least 800 people died in the communal riots that followed. The BJP state government in Gujarat led by Narendra Modi came under fire for the perceived ineptitude of the administration to respond in time and prevent the breakdown of law and order, and some charge that the VHP supported the violence.

1 1992

Hindu activists razed a 16th-century Muslim mosque (the Babri Mosque) in Ayodhya, sparking nationwide riots between Hindus and Muslims that killed more than 2,000 people.

2 1993

A series of 12 bomb blasts rocked Mumbai city. The attacks were allegedly masterminded by the Dawood Ibrahim gang . Dawood is a Muslim fugitive, who has taken shelter in Karachi, Pakistan; from where he runs his underworld empire. This series of attacks was supposedly in retaliation for the 1992 post-Babri riots.

3 February 27, 20022002 is a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). 2002 was the first palindromic year since 1991 and the last until 2112. 2002 was also designated: International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains National Science Year in the United Kingdom

58 people, Hindus apparently on a pilgrimage organised by the VHP, died in GodhraGodhra is a town in Gujarat, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Panchmahal district. It was the starting point of a massacre in train which lead to communal riots in Gujarat in 2002. See also 2002 Gujarat violence Towns and cities of Guja when a carriage on the Sabarmati ExpressSabarmati Express is name given to a train route/schedule that connects the city of Ahmedabad to cities in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The train route may take up to two days to complete the journey. The train has become famous due to Godhra mass train caught fire. The cause of the fire is disputed; some people claim that the local people (Muslims) lit the fire, while forensic reconstructions suggest that the fire was lit from inside the train. The train was en route to AhmedabadAhmedabad or Ahmadbd is the biggest city of Gujarat and the sixth largest city of India. It has about 4 million residents. Ahmedabad is also a district in the state of Gujarat. Ahmedabad city falls under this district. This district is surrounded by Mehsa. See 2002 Gujarat violence.

4 February 28, 2002

In retaliation for the previous day's violence, Hindu rioters set fire to about fifty buildings, mostly Muslim-owned, in Ahmedabad, killing more than 60 Muslims. Curfews were ordered in thirty towns in Gujarat.