In the last five years, more than 2900 cases of communal violence have been reported in the country. The Central Government has given this information in its reply in the Rajya Sabha. Although there was a decrease in these cases in 2021 as compared to previous years. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that between 2017 and 2021, 2,908 cases related to communal or religious riots were registered.
Citing data from the National Crime Records Bureau, Nityanand Rai said that 378 cases of communal or religious riots were registered in the year 2021, 857 in 2020, 438 in 2019, 512 in 2018 and 723 in 2017. However, he added that the NCRB does not maintain any separate data regarding lynching.
Nityanand Rai said that on July 4, 2018, an advisory was issued to the States and Union Territories. It also asked states to keep a watch on the spread of fake news and rumors that have the potential to incite violence, take all necessary measures to effectively counter them, and deal sternly with persons taking law into their own hands, he said. .
Rai said that apart from this, advisories were issued to state governments and union territory administrations on July 23 and September 25 in 2018, asking them to take measures to prevent incidents of mob violence in the country. .