NEW DELHI: Communal violence in India has registered a jump with incidents rising by 24% and related deaths too up by 65% in the first five months of 2015 as compared to the corresponding period of last year, when the UPA government was in the saddle.

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As per latest data collated by the Union home ministry, 287 communal incidents were reported from across the country this year until May 31, as compared to 232 over the same period in 2014. Deaths due to communal clashes during January-May 2015 rose to 43 from 26 and the number of injured too were higher at 961 from 701 in the first five months of last year.

The states that reportedly accounted for a major portion of the increase in communal clashes were Uttar Pradesh , Haryana , Maharashtra and West Bengal.

This is for the first time that data has reflected negatively on the state of communal harmony under the Modi government. Earlier, a comparison of the annual data for the year 2014 and 2013 had shown a fall in incidents to 644 from 823 respectively. Deaths in 2014 too dipped to 95 from 133 and injured were fewer at 1961 as compared to 2,269 in 2013.

Many argued that the lower communal violence in 2014 as compared to 2013 was not really a verdict on the effectiveness of Modi government to control riots, considering that UPA was in power until mid-May 2014.