1990 Bijnor riot
In October 1990, there was a major communal riot in Bijnor, a town in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Stemming from a celebratory procession by local Hindu groups, it was the most destructive riot in the wake of concurrent Hindu nationalist campaigns, which eventually led to the demolition of Babri Masjid. The riots were also characterized by phases of passive and active complicity of the state machinery. Official estimates put the death-toll at 87; unofficially, the count varies from around 200 to 300 with most of the dead being Muslims. Background Amrita Basu et al. notes that there was a near-total absence of any communal riots at Bijnor before 1988. A few distinct events manifested across the politico-religious sphere in the following years, that led to the gradual build-up of animosity and did serve as a precursor to the riots. Municipal elections In the 1988 municipal elections, a Muslim lawyer - Zafar Khan, from BSP was elected as the chair, having defeated Sandip Lal, a fellow Hindu contender from BSP, who was also backed by BJP. Effectively, it was more of a religious fight than political. Notwithstanding the demographic skew against Hindus, Lal was poorly educated and corrupt (contra