India: New anti-terror law following Bombay attacks - timeline
Searching more than 75 years of world history
- November 2008. Ten gunmen kill at least 183 people in attacks on tourist hotels and a Jewish centre in Bombay (Mumbai).
- September 2008. Violence against Christians spreads across India, killing at least 33 and displacing at least 10,000.
- August 2008. Protests in Kashmir over the transfer of government land to a Hindu group lead to the deaths of several protesters and the fall of the state government.
- July 2008. Bombings in Ahmedabad and Bangalore kill more than 60 people. A Muslim group claims responsibility, saying the bombings were revenge for the Gujarat riots of 2002.
- May 2007. An explosion in a mosque in Hyderabad, in the south-east of India, kills nine people. Five more people are later killed when the police fire on demonstrators protesting against the attack.
- March 2007. Maoist rebels kill 55 police officers and soldiers in an assault on a police post.
- February 2007. The train service between India and Pakistan is bombed killing 67 people, mostly Pakistanis.
- September 2006. The bombing of a Muslim cemetery in Malegaon, western India kills at least 31 people.
- July 2006. Bomb attacks claimed by the Pakistan-based Islamic militant group Lashkar-i-Toiba (LiT) on Bombay commuter trains kill 209. Indian authorities blame Islamist militants supported by Pakistan.
- June 2006. There is an upsurge in violence in Kashmir, with militants concentrating their attacks on civilian targets.
- March 2006. Kashmiri Islamist separatists kill 14 people in bomb attacks in Varanasi.
- November 2005. Abu Salem and Monica Bedi are extradited from Portugal to India to stand= trial over the 1993 Mumbai bombings.
- October 2005. A series of bomb blasts in New Delhi (the capital) kills 62 people. Responsibility is claimed by Kashmiri separatists.
- May 2005. Deadly bomb attacks are launched on cinemas in New Delhi showing a film considered offensive by some Sikhs.
- December 2004. Thousands are killed on India's coasts and outlying islands when the Asian tsunami hits.
- May 2004. A landmine attack on Indian paramilitary forces in Kashmir kills 33, including civilians. Responsibility is claimed by Islamic militants.
- January 2004. The Indian government holds talks with moderate Kashmiri separatists, which both sides describe as successful.
- September 2003. There is an upsurge of violence in Indian-administered Kashmir.
- August 2003. Two bombs in Bombay kill 52 people.
- March 2003. A bomb attack is launched on a Bombay commuter train.
- February 2003. India expels Pakistani diplomats after alleging that they had channelled funds to separatist militants in Kashmir. Pakistan expels Indian diplomats in response.
- November 2002. An attack by Muslim separatists on a Hindu temple in Kashmir leaves 12 dead, including two militants.
- September 2002. Two gunmen kill 32 people in a Hindu temple in Gujarat, western India. The gunmen were believed to have been acting in revenge for the killing of Muslims in the province during riots earlier in the year.
- March 2002. The Indian government enacts the Prevention of Terrorism Ordnance granting the security forces wider powers, especially in the interception of communications. A number of separatist groups are banned by the act.
- February 2002. Sectarian violence breaks out between Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat over a train fire in which 59 Hindu pilgrims died. Widespread clashes claim many more lives, mostly of Muslims.
- January 2002. An attack on the US Information Service Building in Calcutta leaves five policemen dead.
- December 2001. A suicide attack on the Indian parliament building leaves 14 people dead, including the five attackers. India imposes sanctions against Pakistan, demanding it takes action against two Kashmir militant groups blamed for the suicide attack. Both countries mass troops on their common border.
- July 2001. A summit between Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Musharraf ends without significant progress or an agreed declaration. The issues of cross-border terrorism and self determination for Kashmir remain unresolved.
- May 1999. India and Pakistan fight an inconclusive war in the Kargil area of Kashmir.
- May 1998. India and Pakistan test nuclear weapons.
- March 1993. Bomb explosions in Bombay and Calcutta (Kolkata) cause more than 300 deaths.
- May 1991. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by a suicide bomber.
- May 1990. The assassination of a leading Muslim cleric in Kashmir leads to an increase in violence.
- November 1984. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by Sikh members of her bodyguard in response to the storming of the Golden Temple.
- June 1984. The Indian Army storms the Golden Temple, the most holy Sikh shrine, which had been occupied by separatist militants.
- June 1974. India carries out an underground nuclear test.
- November-December 1971. India wins a short war with Pakistan and recognises Bangladesh's independence.
- August-September 1965. India and Pakistan fight an inconclusive war over Kashmir.
- January-March 1964. Widespread communal riots in India and Pakistan lead to mass migration.
- January 1948. Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated by Hindu extremist opposed to his policy of religious tolerance.
- January 1948. Large-scale movements of religious minorities across the lines of Partition are accompanied by serious violence.
- October 1947- December 1948. India and Pakistan fight a border war over Kashmir.
- August 1947. India and Pakistan become independent as the UK withdraws from India after Partition.
- December 1921. Mahatma Gandhi assumes leadership of the Indian national Congress and uses the position to campaign for independence.
- December 1885. The newly founded Indian National Congress party holds its first meeting.
- July 1858. After the Indian Mutiny is suppressed, India is brought under direct rule by the British Crown.
