952 cases of communal, religious rioting in 2018-19: Government tells Parliament

New Delhi, Mar 10: A total of 952 cases of communal or religious rioting were registered across the country in a period of two years, with Bihar topping charts both in 2018 and 2019, the government told Parliament on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy tabled the data, compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in response to queries made by Rajya Sabha MP Jharna Das Baidya. As many as 512 cases were lodged across states and Union Territories in 2018 under "communal/religious rioting" while the number was 440 in 2019, according to the data.

Bihar had 167 such cases in 2018 and 135 in 2019, it showed. Noting the "police" and "public order" are state subjects, Reddy added the incidents of communal violence show a declining trend during the period from 2018 to 2019.

"Government of India monitors the internal security and law and order situation in the country and issues appropriate advisories from time to time to maintain peace, public tranquillity and communal harmony," he stated in a written reply.

"Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are deployed to aid and assist state governments, on their request, to maintain law and order and public tranquillity," the minister added.