violent collapse of the British Raj

Say the Indian National Congress keeps refusing partition

Could India collapse into civil war between Muslims and Hindus instead of going through partition in either 1947 or 1948.

What would the British do

What factions would their be in a violent collapse of the British Raj and what would be their goals
 
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Say the Indian National Congress keeps refusing partition

Could India collapse into civil war between Muslims and Hindus instead of going through partition in either 1947 or 1948.

What would the British do

What factions would their be in a violent collapse of the British Raj and what would be their goals

The British are pretty much at a financial crisis after the war so they'll be pulling out regardless. The domestic financial and economic issues within the UK needs to prioritised in the post-World War Two world.
 
The British are pretty much at a financial crisis after the war so they'll be pulling out regardless. The domestic financial and economic issues within the UK needs to prioritised in the post-World War Two world.
Would they leave arms for some of the factions
 
Some of the Princely States might survive in this scenario. Also expect Soviet interference in the situation if at all possible.
 
You would have ethnic cleansing. Simple as that.

A distinction should be made between a violent collapse of the Raj and the most violent scenario which would be the full on balkanization of India. In either case the Muslims can't make Hindu majority areas Muslim though they can overthrow Hindu leaders in places like Kashmir. Neither can the Hindus wipe the Muslims out, though you might see a few million Muslims dead in the worst case scenarios and many more millions dead if the balkanization of India happens.

Even in violent collapse (again not the most violent because that leads to balkanization and Hindus fighting Hindus) of the Raj I do not think the Hindus would be seeking to wipe out the Muslims, just marginalize them. There would be no attempt to turn OTL Bangladesh or Sindh Hindu for example, they can stay Muslim. What will happen will be the destruction of the Muslim League and the idea of Pakistan. All Muslim territories would become Indian States answerable to the Indian Congress.

The exception to this would be the Punjab. From a nationalists point of view the demographics there could be "tweaked" so that instead of there being a Muslim majority, there would be Hindu/Sikh plurality. Without the Punjab the idea of Pakistan is dead and that region would undoubtedly see the most bloodshed with possibly millions of deaths from ethnic cleansing.
 
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Even in violent collapse (again not the most violent because that leads to balkanization and Hindus fighting Hindus) of the Raj I do not think the Hindus would be seeking to wipe out the Muslims, just marginalize them.
Wouldn't there be some factions and/or militias try to do that like the RSS or Hindu Mahasabha with some Muslim factions and/or militias trying to do the reverse
 
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