ABSTRACT
Hindu nationalism is based on perceived threats to Hindu demographic, cultural and political dominance, so the contours of these fears need to be understood as a starting point for any discussion of religious violence in India. The controversy about the size and growth of the Hindu and Muslim populations of India is an old one which began in the early twentieth century when plans were being made for the devolution of colonial power to local Indian parliamentary institutions. Simplistic arithmetic has compelled supporters of Hindutva to see the growth of non-Hindu conversion movements as something that weakens Hindu nationalism and anything that does that automatically strengthens the Muslim minority. The low presence of Muslims in the administrative, police and security services of India at the central and state levels interacts with their lack of political influence. Police bias against the Muslim minority in Bombay was acknowledged in the Srikrishna Report to be serious.
