Orissa tops in communal violence incidents this year: Government report

New Delhi, Oct 19 : Orissa has registered 158 cases of communal violence this year, which is the highest among all states in the country.

According to a statement prepared by the Central Government, the state recorded 158 cases of communal violence till September this year while the number of cases stood at 151 in the seven-year period till the end of 2007.

With respect to casualty as well Orissa recorded the highest 41 deaths this year.

For the period 2000-2007, the toll due to communal violence remained at 22.

The country witnessed 6,464 incidents till 2000, including 693 incidents this year. While 2393 people were killed, about 21,077 people were injured in these violent incidents.

About 116 people were killed and 1680 injured this year alone, the statement said.

Karnataka, where communal violence was reported recently, has recorded 76 incidents this year in which three people were killed and 99 injured.

Altogether 580 cases have been registered in the last eight years in which 64 people were killed and 2016 injured.

Madhya Pradesh, where 99 such incidents occurred this year and 19 people were killed, follows Orissa.

Uttar Pradesh recorded 78 incidents of communal violence claiming 11 lives, and Gujarat recorded 61 such incidents this year, which claimed four lives and injured 194 people.

Maharashtra witnessed 74 incidents this year alone while state recorded 1,046 incidents of communal violence since 2000 in which 151 people have been killed.

Six states in northeast - Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland - did not witness a single incident of communal violence in the last 8 years.

However, states like Tripura, Uttaranchal and Goa have witnessed stray cases of communal violence.

ANI