Maha Gains Infamy With Highest Rank; India Saw 84% Rise in Communal Riots

Study by civil society outfit finds worrying trends; UP and Bihar in tow

- Dhairya Gajara

While 2024 saw a steep 84% rise in communal riots across India, Maharashtra sadly witnessed the highest number of incidents related to religious violence followed by Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, as per a study conducted by the Centre Study of Society and Secularism.

According to the data compiled by the civil society organisation, 2023 saw 32 communal riots, which rose to 59 this year; 12 of them occurred in Maharashtra and seven each in UP and Bihar.

Religious celebrations were increasingly exploited as triggers for communal tensions and political mobilisation, the study underlined. It argued that social tensions also simmered during the general and assembly polls, which were held this year, hinting that sentiments were whipped up for political mileage.