---
title: "Communal Violence: Meaning, Causes, Laws | Model Diplomat"
description: "Communal violence refers to identity-based conflict between religious or ethnic groups, impacting policy research and understanding social dynamics in India."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/communal-violence"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Communal violence is organized or spontaneous conflict between religious, ethnic, or caste communities in which group identity, not individual grievance, is the basis of targeting.
- How does communal violence differ from a riot in Indian law?
- Which level of government is responsible for controlling communal violence in India?
- Why did the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill, 2011 fail?
- What is the 'institutionalized riot system' theory?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

Communal violence is organized or spontaneous conflict between religious, ethnic, or caste communities in which group identity, not individual grievance, is the basis of targeting.

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After the Godhra train fire on 27 February 2002, communal violence spread across Gujarat for weeks; the Nanavati Commission and Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Teams investigated for over a decade.

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