Incidents of communal clashes rose in 2017, maximum number recorded in UP

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Updated: Feb 07, 2018 07:46 IST

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told the Parliament on Tuesday that 2017 saw 822 communal incidents in the country that killed 111 people and injured 2,384 — all numbers higher than the corresponding ones in 2016 and 2015.

The number of communal incidents in 2015 and 2016 were 751 and 703 respectively, and caused 97 and 86 deaths, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said .

According to MHA data, the maximum number of communal incidents, 195, were reported from Uttar Pradesh followed by Karnataka (100) , Rajasthan (91), Bihar (85), Madhya Pradesh (60), West Bengal (58) and Gujarat (50). The data shows that there has been a gradual increase in communal incidents in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. In Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra such instances have been declining since 2015.

In Uttar Pradesh, 155 and 162 communal incidents were witnessed in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

In Gujarat the number in 2017 stood at 50 as compared to 55 and 53 in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

In 13 states and union territories including Chattisgarh and Goa, no communal incident was reported last year, the minister said.