3,800 communal clashes in 5 years, govt tells RS

NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that the country saw more than 3,800 communal clashes in the last five years.

The highest number of communal incidents were reported in the year 2008 when 943 cases took place across the country with maximum reported from Orissa followed by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Minister of state for Home Affairs Ajay Maken presented data pertaining to “communal incidents in the country from 2004-2008”. It shows that 11 states and union territories did not report any incident last year.

The total number of cases reported during the five-year period was 3,858 with 677 reported in 2004, 779 in 2005, 698 in 2006, 761 in 2007 and 943 in 2008.

During the last five years, Maharashtra reported maximum of 681 communal clashes followed by Madhya Pradesh where 654 cases were reported. The minister said 613 cases were reported in Uttar Pradesh.

The government said it has introduced a Bill titled The Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005 in the Rajya Sabha for addressing the issue of communal violence