E-Paper
Maha saw 474 cases of communal clashes between 2014 and 2020: NCRB
Maharashtra has seen 474 instances of communal clashes in seven years, according to annual reports by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)
PUNE If recent incidents of communal tension in parts of Maharashtra are indicative of a trend, the government needs to look at old data which shows that the state has seen 474 instances of communal clashes in seven years, according to annual reports by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The data holds significance amid political leaders such as MNS chief Raj Thackeray raising the religious pitch about playing the Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers if mosques continue namaz on loudspeakers. The data of communal riots over the past seven years shows that Maharashtra may not be at the top of the list but has a history rife with communal violence.
In the latest case, a curfew was declared in the areas of Achalpur and Paratwada of Amravati district in Maharashtra due to communal clashes that erupted following removal of some religious flags. The district has already seen communal clashes during November.
To avoid communal tension getting out of hand, the Maharashtra police have activated the social media lab to keep vigil on posts that could incite communal tension in the state. On Monday, Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil said, “The director-general of police (DGP) along with the Mumbai police commissioner will formulate guidelines on the use of loudspeakers in public places in the next one or two days. Patil also warned of strict action if anyone tries to disturb peace in the state. “We have kept an eye on the law and order situation in the state. Strict action will be taken against those who attempt to disturb peace in the state,” he said.
In Maharashtra, between 2014 and 2020, there were a total 474 incidents of communal rioting reported, claiming 917 victims, the NCRB data stated.
The history of communal riots in 2014 began with the murder of Mohsin Shaikh, then 26, an IT professional who was killed by a mob while he was on his way home after prayers in Hadapsar. The murder was committed on June 2, 2014. Shortly afterwards, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis came to power. The riots began over pictures of the Maratha emperor Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray that were circulated over the internet. During that year, 99 cases of communal rioting were registered in Maharashtra with eight from Pune that claimed 355 victims of which 8 were from Pune. Scores of members of the Hindu Rashtra Sena (HRS) were arrested for the murder of Shaikh including their Pune unit leader Dhananjay Desai who was released from jail in 2019.
The year 2015 which witnessed 104 deaths from 80 instances of communal riots was the year when a man was killed in a police firing during a violent protest in Harsul area near Nashik. The agitation erupted among tribals who were demanding the arrest of a Muslim man, Rizwan Akhtar, in whose well, the body of Bhagirath Chowdhury, a tribal man, was found. Scores of policemen were also injured in the agitation.
In 2016, the number of communal riots in Maharashtra dipped with 57 riots and 78 deaths. However, in the very next year in 2017, the Koregaon-Bhima unrest started simmering - first through the vandalised board of Govind Gopal Mahar, who is regarded as a backward community member who gathered the strewn pieces of Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s body and gave him a burial, and then on the day of the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon which was observed on January 1, 2018. In the first few days of January 2018, riots broke out in various parts of Pune district. Cases were registered against both parties – supporters of the Hindu ideology as well as members of the Kabir Kala Manch and those who attended the Elgar Parishad gathering held on December 31, 2017. While the Hindu ideology supporters were granted bail, an elaborate case was built against various academicians, lawyers, and activists based on the complaint against Elgar Parishad organisers. The case has now been taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) while the Pune rural police are awaiting trial in multiple cases against the likes of Milind Ekbote, convenor of the Samasta Hindu Aghadi.
With such a history and the existence of communal tensions which can be ignited, statements such as those made by MNS’s Thackeray are a cause for concern.
Limitations to NCRB data
A disclaimer by the NCRB itself, attached with each publication since 2016 (but maybe true for earlier publications as well), reads, “As data is being furnished by states/UTs/ CAPFs/CPOs, NCRB is not responsible for authenticity of the information. However, any discrepancy observed in this report may be brought to the notice of the Bureau.”
Another point mentioned in the report by NCRB under ‘limitations’ of the report reads, “Since the publication caters to the ‘Principal Offence Rule’ for classification of crime, the actual count of each crime head may be under reported. This is because among many offences registered in a single FIR case, only most heinous crimes (maximum punishment) will be considered as counting unit. Hence, there is a likelihood of some IPC/SLL cases getting under reported as they are hidden under major IPC crimes.”
Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that cases such as sexual assault and murder committed out of communal hatred cannot be picked out from this haystack. For example, Delhi recorded 53 murders committed for communal or religious reasons in 2020. However, the city reported 519 victims of communal rioting in the same year. Therefore, it is impossible to draw more learned conclusions based purely on this data without further investigation.
