Hindus and Muslims in the colony of India could not resolve their religious differences. The religious conflicts between Hindus and Muslims has been a historic tension. In the early 700s, this struggle between them has raged since Islam spread into the Indian Peninsula. This tension was a major factor in the partition of the British colony of India (India and Pakistan) in the 20th century. While Hindu Indians dominated the central and eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, Muslim Indians dominated the western part of the region (Pakistan).
A democratic thinking grew among the poor and lower classes and many Indians began demanding complete independence from British rule. Gandhi's passive resistance, helped inspire a mass movement, which finally convinced the British.
Hindu-Muslim conflict in India has been going on for centuries.