Blog Post

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT

Between October 1, 2021 and May 11, 2022, India witnessed more than 106 communal incidents.

The most number of incidents took place in the state of Karnataka, which saw more than 27 incidents, followed by Maharashtra with 12 incidents and West Bengal with 10 incidents.

Amongst the cities, New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad witnessed the highest number of communal incidents with 7 incidents each.

Out of the 106 communal incidents, 41 turned violent, with Karnataka witnessing 7 violent protests.

Sri Ram Sena has been the most active group, being involved in 10 communal incidents.

Below are the primary issues that triggered communal incidents;

Use of loudspeakers at religious places

Violence against Hindus in Bangladesh

Hijab ban

Inter-religious clashes on Ram Navami

The aforementioned issues contributed to 67% of all communal incidents; 28 violent incidents were witnessed during these 4 communal issues.

INTRODUCTION

Over the past few months, India has witnessed a series of communal incidents. The issues which have triggered these incidents are diverse. However, there have been four primary issues which contributed to the majority of communal incidents; these are the Use of loudspeakers at religious places, Violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, Hijab Ban and Inter-religious clashes on Ram Navami.

This report analyses 106 communal incidents which have taken place between October 2021 and May 2022. It shows the states and the cities where the incidents took place, identifies the key actors who may have been responsible, months witnessing the most number of incidents, the duration for which each issue lasted, the number of incidents which turned violent and more.

KEY ISSUES TRIGGERING COMMUNAL INCIDENTS

WHAT WERE THE ISSUES ALL ABOUT?

Use of Loudspeakers at Religious Places

A largely political row over the use of loudspeakers at religious places of worship. Some party workers and religious activists undertook a campaign to remove loudspeakers or to compel users to lower the volume of speakers when in use.

Violence against Hindus in Bangladesh

Multiple violent attacks were carried out around the Durga Puja festival against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh. Protests were held by religious organisations and right wing activists in India to condemn the communal incidents, some of which turned violent.

Inter-religious clashes on Ram Navami

Violent clashes took place in at least 10 states on Ram Navami, a Hindu religious festival. Religious processions were stone-pelted leading to violence between the local communities.

Hijab Ban

A controversy erupted when some Hijab-clad Muslim students were barred entry from early January into the premises of some educational institutes in Karnataka. Protests for and against the measure were held by student bodies and political activists. The state high court upheld the uniform dress code in a ruling on March 15.

COMMUNAL INCIDENTS PER MONTH

COMMUNAL INCIDENTS ACROSS STATES

INSIGHT

Communal incidents witnessed an uptick during significant religious festivals.

Consequently, the number of incidents spiked in April (34) during Ramadan and Ram Navami and in October (17) which witnessed Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali celebrations.

With 27 incidents, the highest number of communal incidents were witnessed in Karnataka, followed

by Maharashtra and West Bengal.

CITIES WITNESSING COMMUNAL INCIDENTS

INSIGHT

New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad witnessed the highest number of communal incidents among cities with 7 incidents each. They collectively accounted for 19.8% of the total incidents. 

Metropolitan cities in states governed by opposition parties saw the most activity related to communal incidents.

VIOLENT v NON-VIOLENT INCIDENTS

STATES WITNESSING VIOLENT INCIDENTS

INSIGHT

Violent communal incidents accounted for 38.7% of the total recorded communal incidents.

With 8 incidents, Karnataka witnessed the most number of violent incidents, followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan which experienced 5 violent incidents.

Barring Karnataka, states governed by opposition parties witnessed higher instances of violent incidents compared to BJP-ruled states.

DURATION PER KEY ISSUE

TOP ACTORS

INSIGHT

The Hijab Ban lasted for 73 days hence was the longest. It is followed by the Loudspeaker Row which has seen 36 days of communal incidents, while the issue still continues.

Sri Ram Sena was the most active group, responsible for 10 communal incidents, 1 which turned violent.

All 4 incidents involving Raza Academy turned violent.