By Scroll Staff
India saw 59 communal riots in 2024, an 84% increase from 2023 when 32 such incidents were reported in the country, according to a new report by the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism.
The report, titled Hegemony and Demolitions: The Tale of Communal Riots in India in 2024, was authored by human rights activists Irfan Engineer, Neha Dabhade and Mithila Raut.
Their findings are based on reports from the Mumbai editions of five newspapers – The Hindu, The Times of India, The Indian Express, Shahafat and The Inquilab.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs and National Crime Records Bureau maintain comprehensive records of communal riots in India but have stopped publishing its data regularly,” the authors noted.
According to the report, Maharashtra reported the most number of communal riots – 12 out of the total 59. This was followed by Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which reported seven riots each.
The riots led to the death of 13 persons, of which 10 were Muslims and three Hindus.
“The spike in the number of communal riots in India in the year 2024 can partly be attributed to the general elections that were held in April/ May, 2024,” said the report.
It also highlighted that most communal riots – 26 out of 59 – were triggered during religious festivals or processions, including four coinciding with the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in January 2024.
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