Communal violence: Karnataka tops in number of incidents in south

Karnataka recorded the highest number of communal violence cases among south Indian states in the last five years. However, home minister KJ George said that sometimes central government tends to miscalculate, according to a report by Chethan Kumar in The Times of India.

TOI reports that it recorded 10.54% of 3045 incidents of communal violence in India between January 2011 and June 2015.

Union Ministry of Home Affairs statistics show there were 321 incidents of communal violence in Karnataka, injuring 939 people and killing 16. Of these, 36 incidents occurred between January 2015 and June 2015, leaving two dead and 123 injured. Between 2010 and 2013, there were 222 incidents of communal violence in Karnataka, reports TOI.

Karnataka is followed by Kerala (131 incidents), undivided Andhra Pradesh (114) and Tamil Nadu (91).

“In many states, a lot of cases are not reported. We have a clear mandate to prevent, investigate and solve all such cases. Which is one of the reasons the number of cases could be high,” an officer told TOI.

Several incidents were reported in the last week of September 2015.

On September 27, a Ganesha idol procession in Kadolkar Galli of Belagavi turned violent, TOI reported.

According to a report by The Hindu, a police inspector of Market Police Station in Belagavi has been suspended on the charge of dereliction of duty and negligence, in connection with the communal violence which erupted after the Ganesh immersion procession at Khadak Galli.

Just days before, a similar procession had turned violent in Bagalkot's Mudhol town, which witnessed a full-fledged riot. Communal violence was reported from Chikkodi in Belagavi and Surpur in Yadgir in the same week.

Times of India quoted Muneer Katipalla from Mangaluru, an activist who has faced threats in the past, as saying, “When the Congress came to power, there was a hope that a proactive approach will curb people from indulging in such acts, but that is yet to be seen.”

Speaking to TOI, home minister K J George asserted that only investigation will determine the facts of the case. Commenting on overall increase in the number of communal incidents, George told TOI,  “As far as I remember, there was an incident in Shimogga, a couple in Mangaluru, and one each in Sira and Raichur since we took over. Sometimes, the central government calculates many cases that are registered under one incident.”