India trapped in communal cauldron; Uttar Pradesh atop five worst-hit states

UP leads the table of five worst-hit states between 2009 and 2013. In these five years, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat have witnessed 2,389 cases of communal flare-ups.

Repeated communal flare-ups have put the heat on the Uttar Pradesh government and the Centre, but data available with Parliament show such incidents are not new.

UP leads the table of five worst-hit states between 2009 and 2013. In these five years, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat have witnessed 2,389 cases of communal flare-ups.

Here’s a look at the total incidents of communal violence, number of deaths and the injured

Data show UP averaged 12 communal incidents per month on an average during this period.

Official statistics from answers to questions raised in Parliament also show that in this five-year period, as many as 39 communal incidents occurred on an average in these five states each month, killing 9 people and injuring 114.

Communal unrest in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, came under the spotlight amid talk of polarisation of voters.

Incidents of communal violence have been reported after the NDA government came to power, but numbers do not back the perception that they have risen sharply.

Statistics available for May and June, the first half of Modi's rule, show 113 incidents of communal violence took place across the country, claiming 15 lives.

On extrapolation this comes to 678 incidents in a year, which is below the annual average of 706 cases for the years 2009-2013.

Source : Parliamentary Q and A

Data collection and story idea: Sourjya Bhowmick

Visualization by : Vignesh Radhakrishnan

* A previous version of this story carried an error in the total number of people killed in communal violence, which has now been fixed. The earlier error is regretted