On July 2, 2018, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “there have been no big communal riots in India over the past four years”.
Firstly, let’s understand the definition of a “major” communal incident. It is one that results in death of more than 5 people and injures over 10 people.
In over four years ending 2017, as many as 2,920 communal incidents were reported in India, which led to the death of 389 people and injured 8,890 people.
This, in fact, is a reply from the Home Ministry in the Lok Sabha on February 6-7, 2018.
Three major communal incidents were reported in Baduria-Basirhat district North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, Hazinagar in West Bengal and Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh 2017, 2016 and 2014 respectively.
India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, reported the most incidents (645) over the last four years, also leading to the most deaths in these incidents (121).
Karnataka reported 379 communal incidents leading to 35 deaths. Maharashtra registered the third highest number of communal incidents (316).
Home Ministry’s another reply to the Rajya Sabha stated the factors leading to such incidents, “The incidents are reported to be attributed to religious factors, land and property disputes, gender related offences, social media related issues and other miscellaneous issues”.
Communal riots/incidents over the last 4 years
· Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, July 25, 2014.
· Ballabgarh, Haryana, May 25, 2015.
· North Karnataka (Mudhol, Chikkodi, Surpur, Dharwad, Koujalagi, Belgaum), September 23-28, 2015.
· Nadia, West Bengal, May 5, 2015.
· Malda, West Bengal, January 3, 2016.
· Hazinagar, West Bengal, October 12, 2016.
· Dhulagarh, West Bengal December 13, 2016.
· Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, May 5, 2017.
· Baduria, West Bengal, July 4, 2017.
· Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, September 7, 2017.
· Bhima Koregaon, Pune, Maharashtra, January 1, 2018.
· Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh, January 26, 2018.
Credit: IndiaSpend