Editing Delhi (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of Delhi|Old Delhi}}

=== Ancient and early medieval periods ===
[[File:Purana Qila ramparts, Delhi.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.0|The walls of the 16th-century [[Purana Qila]] built on a mound matching ancient literary descriptions<ref name=asher-indraprastha/>]] Traditionally seven cities have been associated with the region of Delhi. The earliest, [[Indraprastha]], is part of a literary description in the Sanskrit epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'' (composed c. 400&nbsp;BCE to 300&nbsp;CE but describing an earlier time<ref>{{cite book |last1=Austin |first1=Christopher R. |title=Pradyumna: Lover, Magician, and Scion of the Avatāra |date=2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-005411-3 |page=21 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4jCoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21 |language=en |access-date=2 February 2024 |archive-date=7 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907124231/https://books.google.com/books?id=4jCoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21 |url-status=live }}</ref>) which situates a city on a knoll on the banks of the river Yamuna. According to art historian Catherine B. Asher, the topographical description of the ''Mahabharata'' matches the area of [[Purana Qila]], a 14th-century&nbsp;CE fort of the [[Delhi sultanate]], but the analogy does not go much further. Whereas the ''Mahabharata'' speaks of a beautifully decorated city with surrounding fortifications, the excavations have yielded "uneven findings of [[Painted Grey Ware|painted grey pottery]] characteristic of the eleventh century BCE; no signs of a built environment, much fewer fortifications, have been revealed."<ref name=asher-indraprastha>{{citation|last=Asher|first=Catherine|title=City Walls: The Urban Enceinte in Global Perspective|editor=James D. Tracy|publisher=Cambridge University Press|chapter=Delhi walled: Changing boundaries|date=25 September 2000|pages=247&ndash;, 250|isbn=9780521652216|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S7dUv-1Ql2oC|access-date=12 October 2021|archive-date=9 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109200300/https://books.google.com/books?id=S7dUv-1Ql2oC|url-status=live}}</ref>

The earliest architectural relics date back to the [[Maurya Empire|Maurya]] period (c. 300&nbsp;BCE); in 1966, an inscription of the Mauryan Emperor [[Ashoka]] (273–235&nbsp;BCE) was discovered near Srinivaspuri. Remains of several major cities can be found in Delhi. The first of these was in the southern part of present-day Delhi. [[Tomara dynasty|Tomara Rajput]] King [[Anangpal Tomar|Anang Pal]] built the [[Qila Rai Pithora|Lal Kot]] and several temples in 1052&nbsp;CE. The [[Chahamanas of Shakambhari|Chauhan Rajputs]] under [[Vigraharaja IV]] conquered Lal Kot in the mid-12th century and renamed it [[Qila Rai Pithora]].

=== Late medieval period ===
{{See also|Delhi Sultanate}}
[[File:Qutub - Minar, Delhi (6994969674).jpg|thumb|upright|The Qutub Minar, Delhi]]
[[Prithviraj Chauhan]] was defeated in 1192 by [[Muhammad of Ghor|Muhammad Ghori]] in the [[second battle of Tarain]]. [[Qutb al-Din Aibak|Qutb-ud-din Aibak]], was given the responsibility of governing the conquered territories of India after Ghori returned to his capital, [[Ghor Province|Ghor]]. When Ghori died without an heir in 1206&nbsp;CE, Qutb-ud-din assumed control of Ghori's Indian possessions and laid the foundation of the [[Delhi Sultanate]] and the [[Mamluk dynasty (Delhi)|Mamluk dynasty]]. He began construction of the [[Qutb Minar]] and [[Qutb complex|Quwwat-al-Islam]] (Might of Islam) mosque, the earliest extant mosque in India. It was his successor, [[Iltutmish]] (1211–1236), who consolidated the conquest of northern India.<ref name=ecosurv1 /><ref name=Quwwat>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/archive/periodicreporting/cycle01/section2/233-summary.pdf
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524155833/https://whc.unesco.org/archive/periodicreporting/cycle01/section2/233-summary.pdf|archive-date=24 May 2006|title=India: Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi |access-date=22 December 2006 |work= State of Conservation of the World Heritage Properties in the Asia-Pacific Region: : Summaries of Periodic Reports 2003 by property, Section II |publisher=[[UNESCO]] World Heritage Centre |pages=71–72}}</ref> At {{convert|72.5|m|abbr=on|0}}, the [[Qutb Minar]], a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] in Delhi,<ref name="Qutab">{{cite web|url=https://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=6643&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html|title=Under threat: The Magnificent Minaret of Jam|work=The New Courier No 1|date=October 2002|publisher=UNESCO|access-date=3 May 2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060522201305/https://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D6643%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html|archive-date=22 May 2006}}</ref> was completed during the reign of Sultan [[Illtutmish]] in the 13th century. Although its style has some similarities with the [[Jarkurgan minaret]], it is more closely related to the [[Ghaznavid]] and [[Ghurid]] minarets of [[Central Asia]]<ref name=mcclary-medieval-monuments>{{citation|last = McClary|first=Richard Piran|title=Medieval Monuments of Central Asia: Qarakhanid Architecture of the 11th and 12th Centuries|year= 2020|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|page=287|url= |quote=The second story of the minaret, built during the reign of Iltutmish" (r. 1211-36), features a similar form of ribbing to the shaft as is seen at the Jar Kurgan minaret, but the lower section features alternating flanges and ribs, while the third storey is entirely flanged, with a stellate plan. The Qutb Minar is more closely related to the Ghaznavid and Ghurid traditions of minaret construction, although all the surviving large minarets from Central Asia can be seen to share certain general characteristics, namely, a tall tapering shaft and bands of decoration. }}</ref> [[Razia Sultana|Razia]], daughter of Iltutmish, became the Sultana of Delhi upon the former's death.

For the next three hundred years, Delhi was ruled by a succession of [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]], [[Sayyid Dynasty|Indian]] and an [[Afghans|Afghan]], [[Lodi dynasty]]. They built several forts and townships that are part of the [[History of Delhi|seven cities of Delhi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Ibn_Battuta/Battuta's_Trip_Seven.html |title=Battuta's Travels: Delhi, capital of Muslim India |publisher=Sfusd.k12.ca.us |access-date=7 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423014415/https://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Ibn_Battuta/Battuta%27s_Trip_Seven.html |archive-date=23 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Delhi was a major centre of [[Sufism]] during this period.<ref>{{cite book |title=Travel Delhi, India |location=History section |page=10 |isbn=9781605010519 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MsYj4ysWQ6sC&q=delhi+was+center+of+sufism&pg=PT9 |author1=Mobilereference |year=2007 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The [[Mamluk dynasty (Delhi)|Mamluk Sultanate (Delhi)]] was overthrown in 1290 by [[Jalal-ud-din Khalji|Jalal ud din Firuz Khalji]] (1290–1320). Under the second Khalji ruler, [[Alauddin Khalji|Ala-ud-din Khalji]], the Delhi sultanate extended its control south of the [[Narmada River]] in the [[Deccan]]. The Delhi sultanate reached its greatest extent during the reign of [[Muhammad bin Tughluq]] (1325–1351). In an attempt to bring the whole of the Deccan under control, he moved his capital to [[Daulatabad, Maharashtra]] in central India. However, by moving away from Delhi he lost control of the north and was forced to return to Delhi to restore order. The southern provinces then broke away. In the years following the reign of [[Firoz Shah Tughlaq]] (1351–1388), the [[Delhi Sultanate]] rapidly began to lose its hold over its northern provinces. Delhi was captured and sacked by [[Timur]] in 1398,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/mongols/timurid.html |title=The Islamic World to 1600: The Mongol Invasions (The Timurid Empire) |publisher=Ucalgary.ca |access-date=7 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090816204247/https://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/mongols/timurid.html |archive-date=16 August 2009 }}</ref> who massacred 100,000 captive civilians.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rubinstein |first=W. D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nMMAk4VwLLwC&pg=PA28 |title=Genocide: A History |date=2004 |publisher=Pearson Longman |isbn=978-0-582-50601-5 |language=en}}</ref> Delhi's decline continued under the [[Sayyid dynasty]] (1414–1451), until the sultanate was reduced to Delhi and its hinterland. Under the Afghan [[Lodi dynasty]] (1451–1526), the sultanate recovered control of Punjab and the [[Gangetic plain]] to once again achieve domination over Northern India. However, the recovery was short-lived and the sultanate was destroyed in 1526 by [[Babur]], founder of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal dynasty]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

=== Early modern period ===
{{See also|Mughal Empire}}
[[File:Delhi Red fort.jpg|thumb|left|[[Red Fort]], a [[List of World Heritage Sites in India|UNESCO World Heritage Site]], was the main residence of the [[List of Mughal emperors|Mughal emperors]] for nearly 200 years. |alt=Red Fort with the Indian Flag at the centre]]
In 1526, [[Babur]], a descendant of [[Descent from Genghis Khan|Genghis Khan]] and [[Timur]] from the [[Fergana Valley]] in modern-day [[Uzbekistan]], invaded India and defeated the last Lodhi sultan in the [[First Battle of Panipat]] and founded the [[Mughal Empire]] that ruled from Delhi and [[Agra]].<ref name=ecosurv1 /> The Mughal dynasty ruled Delhi for more than three centuries, with a sixteen-year hiatus during the reigns of [[Sher Shah Suri]] and [[Hemu]] from 1540 to 1556.<ref name=shershah>{{cite web |url=https://www.indhistory.com/sher-shah-suri.html |title=Sher Shah&nbsp;– The Lion King |access-date=22 December 2006 |work=India's History: Medieval India |publisher=indhistory.com |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212214725/https://www.indhistory.com/sher-shah-suri.html |archive-date=12 December 2006 }}</ref> [[Shah Jahan]] built the seventh city of Delhi that bears his name ''[[Shahjahanabad]]'', which served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1638 and is today known as the ''Old City'' or ''Old Delhi''.<ref name=book11111>{{cite book |title=Travel Delhi, India |page=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MsYj4ysWQ6sC&pg=PT10 |isbn=9781605010519 |author1=Mobilereference |year=2007 |publisher=MobileReference.com }}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

After the death of [[Aurangzeb]] in 1707, the Mughal Empire's influence declined rapidly as the Hindu [[Maratha Empire]] from [[Deccan Plateau]] rose to prominence.<ref>{{cite book
 |last = Thomas
 |first = Amelia
 |title = Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra
 |publisher = Lonely Planet
 |isbn = 978-1-74104-690-8|year = 2008
 }}</ref> In 1737, Maratha forces led by [[Baji Rao I]] sacked Delhi following their victory against the Mughals in the First Battle of Delhi. In 1739, the Mughal Empire lost the huge [[Battle of Karnal]] in less than three hours against the numerically outnumbered but militarily superior Persian army led by [[Nader Shah]] of [[Afsharid dynasty|Persia.]] After his [[Nader Shah's invasion of India|invasion]], he [[sack of Delhi|completely sacked and looted Delhi]], carrying away immense wealth including the [[Peacock Throne]], the [[Daria-i-Noor]], and [[Koh-i-Noor]]. The Mughals, severely further weakened, could never overcome this crushing defeat and humiliation which also left the way open for more invaders to come, including eventually the [[British Raj|British]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ak5oFjTys8MC&q=battle+of+karnal+less+than+three+hours&pg=RA1-PA349|title=Later Mughal|last1=Irvine|first1=William|year=1971|access-date=2 October 2020|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413204034/https://books.google.com/books?id=ak5oFjTys8MC&q=battle+of+karnal+less+than+three+hours&pg=RA1-PA349|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M2uPAgAAQBAJ&q=nader+shah+humiliating+sack+of+delhi&pg=PA288|title=Territories and States of India|isbn=9781135356255|last1=Boland-Crewe|first1=Tara|last2=Lea|first2=David|date=2 September 2003|publisher=Routledge |access-date=2 October 2020|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413204219/https://books.google.com/books?id=M2uPAgAAQBAJ&q=nader+shah+humiliating+sack+of+delhi&pg=PA288|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avalanchepress.com/Soldier_Shah.php |title=Iran in the Age of the Raj |publisher=Avalanchepress.com |access-date=11 March 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113091203/https://avalanchepress.com/Soldier_Shah.php |archive-date=13 January 2011 }}</ref> [[Nader Shah|Nader]] eventually agreed to leave the city and India after forcing the Mughal emperor [[Muhammad Shah]] I to beg him for mercy and granting him the keys of the city and the royal treasury.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QsDSGn8jLPAC&q=muhammad+shah+nader+shah+beg+for+mercy&pg=PA298|title=Soul and Structure of Governance in India|isbn=9788177648317|author1=Jagmohan|year=2005|publisher=Allied Publishers |access-date=2 October 2020|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413203840/https://books.google.com/books?id=QsDSGn8jLPAC&q=muhammad+shah+nader+shah+beg+for+mercy&pg=PA298|url-status=live}}</ref> A treaty signed in 1752 made Marathas the protectors of the Mughal throne in Delhi.<ref>{{cite book
 |last = Gordon
 |first = Stewart
 |title = The Marathas 1600–1818, Volume 2
 |publisher = Cambridge University Press|year=1993
 |isbn = 978-0-521-26883-7}}</ref> The city was sacked again in 1757 by the forces of [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]], although it was not annexed by the [[Durrani Empire|Afghan Empire]] and being its vassal state under the Mughal emperor. Then the Marathas battled and [[Battle of Delhi (1757)|won]] control of Delhi from the Afghans.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/context-culture/bollywoods-great-betrayal-of-afghanistan-panipat-and-the-cost-of-vilifying-ahmad-shah-durrani/ |title=Bollywood's 'Great Betrayal' of Afghanistan: "Panipat" and the cost of vilifying Ahmad Shah Durrani |date=9 March 2020 |access-date=14 December 2021 |archive-date=9 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109114413/https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/context-culture/bollywoods-great-betrayal-of-afghanistan-panipat-and-the-cost-of-vilifying-ahmad-shah-durrani/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Colonial period ===
{{See also|British Raj}}
[[File:NewDelhiInaugurationSecondDayCancellation27Feb1931.jpg|thumb|[[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]] stamps, inauguration, New Delhi, February 1931]]
In 1803, during the [[Second Anglo-Maratha War]], the forces of [[British East India Company]] defeated the Maratha forces in the [[Battle of Delhi, 1803|Battle of Delhi]].<ref>{{cite book
 |last = Mayaram
 |first = Shail
 |title = Against history, against state: counter perspective from the margins Cultures of history
 |publisher = Columbia University Press|year= 2003
 |isbn = 978-0-231-12731-8}}</ref> During the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], Delhi fell to the forces of East India Company after a bloody fight known as the [[Siege of Delhi]]. The city came under the direct control of the [[British Government]] in 1858. It was made a district province of the [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]].<ref name=ecosurv1 /> In 1911, it was announced that the capital of the [[British Raj|British Indian Empire]] was to be transferred from [[Calcutta]] to Delhi.<ref name="cal to del">{{cite news |title=Shifting pain |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Shifting-pain/articleshow/11065881.cms |access-date=18 June 2012 |date=11 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127185454/https://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-11/kolkata/30504131_1_bengalis-capital-british-empire |archive-date=27 January 2013 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=live}}</ref> This formally transferred on 12 December 1911.<ref>Chronicle of 20th Century History edited by J S Bowman ISBN 1-85422-005-5</ref>
[[File:The Nizam of Hyderabad pays homage to the king and queen at the Delhi Durbar.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The Nizam of Hyderabad pays homage to the King and Queen at the 1911 Delhi Durbar|center]]
[[File:Delhi durbar 1911 2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Delhi Durbar held in 1911 to commemorate the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary|center]]
The name "New Delhi" was given in 1927, and the new capital was inaugurated on 13 February 1931. [[New Delhi]] was officially declared as the capital of the [[Dominion of India|Union of India]] after the country gained [[History of the Republic of India|independence]] on 15 August 1947.<ref>{{cite book |title=Travel Delhi |page=8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MsYj4ysWQ6sC&q=delhi+was+declared+capital+of+india&pg=PT7 |isbn=978-1-60501-051-9 |date=1 January 2007 |author1=Mobilereference|publisher=MobileReference.com }}{{Dead link|date=January 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

=== Partition and post-independence ===
[[File:New Delhi India ~Khan Market.jpg|thumb|left|[[Khan Market]] in New Delhi, now a high-end shopping district, was established in 1951 to help refugees of the [[Partition of India]], especially those from the [[North West Frontier Province]] (NWFP). It honours [[Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan]], chief minister of NWFP during the Partition.<ref name=lakhani-indexpress-khan>{{cite web|last=Lakhani|first=Somya|title=Khan Market's humble beginnings: Meant for refugees, 'doomed to fail'|work=Indian Express|date=17 May 2019|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/delhi/khan-markets-humble-beginnings-meant-for-refugees-doomed-to-fail-5732031/|access-date=14 October 2021|quote='This market was set up for those who had been displaced; refugees who had migrated from the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP)&nbsp;...' said Sanjiv Mehra, president of Khan Market Traders' Association and owner of Allied Toy Store. It was aptly named after popular NWFP leader Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan or Dr Khan Sahib, the elder brother of Pashtun Independence activist Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan or Frontier Gandhi.|archive-date=27 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027175349/https://indianexpress.com/article/delhi/khan-markets-humble-beginnings-meant-for-refugees-doomed-to-fail-5732031/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bhardwaj-khan-reuters">{{cite web |last=Bhardwaj |first=Mayank |date=31 May 2019 |title='Khan Market Gang': Modi mocks his elite adversaries |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/india-politics-khanmarket-idINKCN1T10KM |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019233449/https://www.reuters.com/article/india-politics-khanmarket-idINKCN1T10KM |archive-date=19 October 2021 |access-date=14 October 2021 |work=Reuters}}</ref>]]
During the [[partition of India]], around five hundred thousand Hindu and Sikh refugees, mainly from [[Punjab, Pakistan|West Punjab]] migrated to Delhi, whereas around three hundred thousand Muslim residents of the city migrated to Pakistan.<ref>[https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/capital-gains-how-1947-gave-birth-to-a-new-identity-a-new-ambition-a-new-delhi/story-e0GfoFrhwStTU2910v5DrJ.html "Capital gains: How 1947 gave birth to a new identity, a new ambition, a new Delhi"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513231829/https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/capital-gains-how-1947-gave-birth-to-a-new-identity-a-new-ambition-a-new-delhi/story-e0GfoFrhwStTU2910v5DrJ.html |date=13 May 2021 }}. ''[[Hindustan Times]]''. 24 April 2018.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/muslim-ghettos-of-delhi-6297633/|title=How Muslim ghettos came about in Delhi|date=3 March 2020|access-date=31 July 2021|archive-date=31 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731110305/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/muslim-ghettos-of-delhi-6297633/|url-status=live}}</ref> Delhi has expanded much since 1947; the small part of it that was constructed during the British period has come to be informally known as ''Lutyens' Delhi''.<ref name=lutdelhiii>{{cite news |title=Lutyens' Delhi in race for UN heritage status |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Lutyens-Delhi-in-race-for-UN-heritage-status/Article1-869770.aspx |access-date=18 June 2012 |newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=11 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615235957/https://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Lutyens-Delhi-in-race-for-UN-heritage-status/Article1-869770.aspx |archive-date=15 June 2012 }}</ref>

The [[States Reorganisation Act, 1956]] created the Union Territory of Delhi from its predecessor, the ''[[Chief Commissioner's Province]] of Delhi''.<ref name="7thAmend56">{{cite web |title=The Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956 |url=https://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend7.htm |website=[[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)]] |access-date=16 March 2017 |year=1956 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501011646/https://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend7.htm |archive-date=1 May 2017}}</ref><ref name="ReorgAct56">{{cite web |title=The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 |url=https://lawmin.nic.in/ld/P-ACT/1956/A1956-37.pdf |website=[[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)]] |access-date=16 March 2017 |year=1956 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317144043/https://lawmin.nic.in/ld/P-ACT/1956/A1956-37.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2017}}</ref> The Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 declared the Union Territory of Delhi to be formally known as the National Capital Territory of Delhi.<ref name=NCTact>{{cite web |url=https://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend69.htm |title=The Constitution (Sixty-Ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 |access-date=8 January 2007 |work=Government of India |publisher=National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821020032/https://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend69.htm |archive-date=21 August 2016}}</ref> The Act gave Delhi its legislative assembly along Civil lines, though with limited powers.<ref name=NCTact />

Delhi was the primary site in the nationwide [[1984 anti-Sikh riots|anti-Sikh pogroms]] of 1984, which resulted in the death of around 2,800 people in the city according to government figures, though independent estimates of the number of people killed tend to be higher. The riots were set off by the [[assassination of Indira Gandhi]]—the Prime Minister of India at the time—by her Sikh bodyguards.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8306420.stm |title=Indira Gandhi's death remembered |last=Bedi |first=Rahul |date=1 November 2009 |publisher=BBC |quote=The 25th anniversary of Indira Gandhi's assassination revives stark memories of some 3,000 Sikhs killed brutally in the orderly pogrom that followed her killing |access-date=2 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091102113639/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8306420.stm |archive-date=2 November 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2001, the [[Parliament of India]] building in New Delhi was [[2001 Indian Parliament attack|attacked]] by armed militants, killing six security personnel.<ref>{{cite news |title=Terrorists attack Parliament; five intruders, six cops killed |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2001/dec/13parl1.htm |work=Rediff.com |date=13 December 2001 |access-date=2 November 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006075521/https://www.rediff.com/news/2001/dec/13parl1.htm |archive-date=6 October 2013 }}</ref> India suspected Pakistan-based Jihadist militant groups were behind the attack, which caused a major [[2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff|diplomatic crisis]] between the two countries.<ref>{{cite news |title=India and Pakistan: Who will strike first? |url=https://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=917228 |work=Economist |date=20 December 2001 |access-date=2 November 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205030926/https://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=917228 |archive-date=5 December 2008}}</ref> There were further terrorist attacks in Delhi in [[2005 Delhi bombings|2005]] and [[13 September 2008 Delhi bombings|2008]], resulting in a total of 92 deaths.<ref name="news24.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1826434,00.html |title=Delhi blasts death toll at 62 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051105143402/https://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0%2C%2C2-10-1462_1826434%2C00.html |archive-date=5 November 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Serial-blasts-rock-Delhi-30-dead-90-injured/articleshow/3479914.cms |title=Serial blasts rock Delhi; 30 dead, 90 injured-India |date=14 September 2008 |access-date=3 November 2008 |first1=Rahul |last1=Tripathi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915175046/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Serial_blasts_rock_Delhi_18_dead/articleshow/3479914.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |archive-date=15 September 2008 }}</ref> In 2020, [[2020 Delhi riots|Delhi witnessed worst communal violence]] in decades. The riots, caused mainly by Hindu mobs attacking Muslims,<ref name="guardian-3-16-20-1">{{citation |title=Delhi's Muslims despair of justice after police implicated in riots |last1=Ellis-Peterson |first1=Hannah |last2=Azizur Rahman |first2=Shaikh |location=Delhi |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/16/delhis-muslims-despair-justice-police-implicated-hindu-riots |date=16 March 2020 |access-date=17 March 2020 |quote=As the mob attacks came once, then twice and then a third time in this north-east Delhi neighbourhood, desperate stallholders repeatedly ran to Gokalpuri and Dayalpur police stations crying out for help. But each time they found the gates locked from the inside. For three days, no help came.&nbsp;... Since the riots broke out in Delhi at the end of February, the worst religious conflict to engulf the capital in decades, questions have persisted about the role that the Delhi police played in enabling the violence, which was predominately Hindu mobs attacking Muslims. Of the 51 people who died, at least three-quarters were Muslim, and many Muslims are still missing. |archive-date=17 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317023019/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/16/delhis-muslims-despair-justice-police-implicated-hindu-riots |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes-Analysis-March1">{{citation |last1=Gettleman |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Abi-Habib |first2=Maria |title=In India, Modi's Policies Have Lit a Fuse |date=1 March 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/asia/india-modi-hindus.html |access-date=1 March 2020 |quote=This past week, as neighborhoods in India's capital burned and religiously driven bloodletting consumed more than 40 lives, most of them Muslim, India's government was quick to say that the violence was spontaneous&nbsp;... Many Muslims are now leaving, hoisting their unburned things on their heads and trudging away from streets that still smell of smoke. |archive-date=1 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301173003/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/asia/india-modi-hindus.html |url-status=live}}</ref> 53 people were killed, two-thirds were Muslims,<ref name=nytimes-2020-3-12-two-thirds>{{citation |title='If We Kill You, Nothing Will Happen': How Delhi's Police Turned Against Muslims |first1=Jeffrey |last1=Gettleman |first2=Sameer |last2=Yasir |first3=Suhasini |last3=Raj |first4=Hari |last4=Kumar |others=Photographs by Loke, Atul |date=12 March 2020 |access-date=13 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/world/asia/india-police-muslims.html |quote=Two-thirds of the more than 50 people who were killed and have been identified were Muslim. |archive-date=13 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313011029/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/world/asia/india-police-muslims.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="wapo-3-6-20-slater-1">{{citation |last1=Slater |first1=Joanna |last2=Masih |first2=Niha |date=6 March 2020 |title=In Delhi's worst violence in decades, a man watched his brother burn |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-delhis-worst-violence-in-decades-a-man-watched-his-brother-burn/2020/03/05/892dbb12-5e45-11ea-ac50-18701e14e06d_story.html |access-date=6 March 2020 |quote=At least 53 people were killed or suffered deadly injuries in violence that persisted for two days. The majority of those killed were Muslims, many shot, hacked or burned to death. A police officer and an intelligence officer were also killed. So too were more than a dozen Hindus, most of them shot or assaulted. |archive-date=7 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307070624/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-delhis-worst-violence-in-decades-a-man-watched-his-brother-burn/2020/03/05/892dbb12-5e45-11ea-ac50-18701e14e06d_story.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="wapo-3-2-20-slater-1">{{citation |last1=Slater |first1=Joanna |last2=Masih |first2=Niha |date=2 March 2020 |title=What Delhi's worst communal violence in decades means for Modi's India |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/what-days-of-communal-violence-mean-for-modi-and-for-india/2020/03/01/3d649c18-5a68-11ea-8efd-0f904bdd8057_story.html |access-date=15 March 2020 |quote=Zaitoon, 40, who goes by one name, half-cried as she rummaged through the items. She said mobs entered her lane shouting 'Jai Shri Ram,' or 'Victory to Lord Ram,' a slogan favoured by Modi's party, and demanded to know which houses were occupied by Muslims. She said she saw a neighbour set on fire in front of her, an account repeated by other witnesses. |archive-date=3 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303203132/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/what-days-of-communal-violence-mean-for-modi-and-for-india/2020/03/01/3d649c18-5a68-11ea-8efd-0f904bdd8057_story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and the rest [[Hindus]].<ref name="wapo-3-6-20-slater-1"/>