Minority report: M'rashtra, UP, top complaints filed

Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra top the list of states from which the maximum complaints by minorities have been reported, reports Nandini R Iyer.

Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra top the list of states from which the maximum complaints by minorities have been reported. A recent analysis by the National Commission for Minorities showed that of the total complaints taken up in the past nine months, the majority were from these three states.

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NCM Chairman, Hamid Ansari, however, told Hindustan Times on Saturday that the number of complaints from these three states could be high simply because of maximum reporting facilities. “Delhi is the Capital and Mumbai is the second largest metro city in India.

In the case of Uttar Pradesh, it has the largest population of all states in India and the largest population of minorities. Education and awareness could have led to increased confidence among people belonging to minority communities in these three areas,” he said.

The analysis conducted by the Commission is the first effort to make transparent its workings and to put its activities into demographic perspective. This is only the first step, however, and this will be followed by the Commission setting up an interactive website where people will be able to track the status of their complaints.

But the majority of complaints – 368 in all – pertain to law and order. The NCM chairman clarified that these were not what are described as communal riots but are individual cases. About 57 pertained to encroachments on wakf or other religious properties.

Of the total complaints, the maximum cases were brought by Muslims, a fact which Ansari clarifies should be read with the fact that Muslims are the largest group of all minority communities in India. There were 260 complaints by Sikhs, 100 by Christians, 18 by Buddhists and eight by Parsis.

Email Nandini R Iyer: nandiniriyer@hindustantimes.com