Religious violence in India includes acts of violence by followers of one religious group against followers and institutions of another religious group, often in the form of rioting. Religious violence in India has generally involved Hindus and Muslims. Many historians argue that religious violence in independent India is a legacy of the policy of divide and rule pursued by the British government during the colonial era, in which administrators pitted Hindus and Muslims against one another, a tactic that eventually culminated in the partition of India.