Communal violence as a characteristic of sectarian conflict between Hindus and Muslims in India is due to the separate historical developments of these communities. Historically, power has been the dominant factor ordering Hindu-Muslim relations. Communal violence occurs in areas of mixed population, and such riots usually consist of stabbings, looting, and the burning of property. The scale of communal violence has increased over the years. Issues occasioning the violence persist, i.e., music before mosques, cow-slaughter, conversion, and affront to women. Economic competition between Hindus and Muslims is a more recent dimension to the conflict. India's Constitution has provided for a Federal policy with adequate safeguards and growth opportunities for ethnic and other minorities within a broad framework of unity; however, an increasing trend toward centralization of authority, excessive intolerance and religious revivalism among the majority Hindu community, and the intellectual decline of the ruling elite have curtailed the capacity of the administration and political authority to check and control sectarian conflicts in the country. There are no observable signs of reform that hold the promise of improvement in the future.