The
2002 Gujarat riots, also known as the
2002 Gujarat violence and the
Gujarat pogrom, was a three-day period of inter-communal violence in the
western Indian state of
Gujarat. Following the initial incident there were further outbreaks of violence in
Ahmedabad for three weeks; statewide, there were further outbreaks of
communal riots against the minority Muslim population for three months. The
burning of a train in
Godhra on 27 February 2002, which caused the deaths of 58 Hindu pilgrims
karsevaks returning from
Ayodhya, is believed to have triggered the violence.