By Muslim Mirror Desk
Over 2,900 incidences of rioting or violence between religious communities were filed in India between 2017 and 2021, according to the Indian government’s data from the National Crime Records Bureau, which was cited by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai in a reply in Rajya Sabha.
In 2021, 378 incidences of communal or religious rioting were reported, compared to 857 in 2020, 438 in 2019, 512 in 2018, and 723 in 2017, according to the data.
Rai said that “a decrease was recorded in such cases in 2021 compared to the previous years.”
According to NCRB data, 100 of the 378 instances in 2021 were registered in Jharkhand, 77 in Maharashtra, and 22 in Rajasthan. This was followed by 51 in Maharashtra, 51 in Bihar, and 40 in Haryana.
He also stated that the NCRB did not keep separate records on cases of mob lynching.
Rai stated that on July 4, 2018, an advisory was sent to states and union territories to keep a close eye on the propagation of fake news and rumours that could incite violence, to take all necessary measures to successfully fight them, and to act harshly with those who break the law.
What does the NRCB data say?
According to NCRB data from the last five years, there were 35,040 incidences of rioting in Uttar Pradesh between 2017 and 2021. Riots were reported in at least 5,302 occurrences in 2021, a 41% decrease from 8,990 in 2017.
However, communal rioting in the state have decreased by 97% between 2017 and 2021.
According to the NCRB data, there were no cases of communal rioting in UP in 2018, 2019, or 2020. Rioting episodes are classified by the NCRB into 15 categories, including communal, sectarian, caste conflict, industrial, and political.
Between 2014 and 2020, a total of 4.07 lakh riots were reported. The total number of riot-related cases registered each year fell to 46,209 in 2019 from over 66,000 in 2014. However, the number of riots reported grew to 51,606 in 2020.
Between 2014 and 2020, Bihar, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala accounted for 63% of all riot cases. West Bengal saw a nearly six-fold decrease in riot cases over a seven-year period.
UP was the site of 94% of’sectarian’ riots in 2015 and 49% in 2016. However, no cases were reported under this heading in the state in 2019 or 2020.
