The Union government on Tuesday said that 3,399 communal riots took place in India between 2016 and 2020.
The information was provided by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in response to a written query filed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in the Lok Sabha.
Rai, who quoted reports from the National Crime Records Bureau, told the Lower House that the most number of communal riots, 869, took place in 2016. The least number of communal riots, 512, were recorded in 2018.
He added that 2.76 lakh cases of rioting were registered in the country between 2016 and 2020. Of these, 61,947 were recorded in 2016.
Rai also told the House that no separate data on mob lynchings was maintained by the National Crime Records Bureau.
“It is the intention of the government to comprehensively review the existing Criminal Laws,” Rai said. “And make them relevant to the contemporary law and order situation as well as to provide speedy justice to the vulnerable sections of the society and create a legal structure which is citizen-centric.”
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