Because of the national debt acquired from WW2 and the rebellions taking place in the Indian subcontinent, the British were forced to relinquish their hold over India and South-East Asia. With the British leaving India, the new country needed to make its own government. Religious conflict was bound to happen in such a diverse region. The British government separated and identified different interest groups and forced them to collaborate. For example, under British rule, the status of minorities, notably Muslims, was protected by reserved seats in parliament.

India after Partition, Source: Brilliant Maps

With independence, the Muslims would lose political security in the new parliament. The Muslim League, led by Jinnah, planned to create a new Muslim country, Pakistan. The divide of these two countries amplified Hindu-Muslim religious conflict that still continues today. This concern over minorities and different ethnic groups clashing with one another is not only confined to India. The Partition was actually very similar to the events that occured in the divide of Yugoslavia.