NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh (UP) topped the list of States and Union Territories with the most number of communal incidents in the last three years. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs data, 195 incidents of communal violence were reported in UP in 2017 as compared to 162 in 2016 and 155 in 2015.
Overall, the number of communal incidents in the country has surged from 751 in 2015 to 703 in 2016 and 822 in 2017.
After UP, Karnataka was only State that reported communal incidents in the three digit number for all three years —100 incidents in 2017, marginally down from 101 in 2016 and 105 in 2015.
Rajasthan registered 91 incidents in 2017, up from 63 in 2016 and 65 in 2015. Likewise, Bihar recorded 85 cases in 2017, 65 in 2016 and 71 in 2015. Madhya Pradesh registered 60 incidents in 2017, 57 in 2016 and 92 in 2015. Gujarat reported 50 incidents in 2017, 53 in 2016 and 55 in 2015. West Bengal reported 58 cases in 2017, 32 in 2016 and 27 in 2015.
In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Junior home minister Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said, “The incidents are attributed to religious factors, land and property disputes, gender-related offences, social media related issues and other miscellaneous issues.”
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Puducherry reported no communal incidents. Likewise, Arunachal, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Goa reported no communal incidents.