Orissa tops communal violence list

NEW DELHI: Orissa has earned the dubious distinction of having the highest number of cases of communal violence this year, recording a 12-time jump in such incidents compared to last year, while Jammu and Kashmir earned laurels for not having a single such incident.

The all-India figure of 855 incidents of communal violence has also surpassed that of the previous year’s 761, according to latest government data.

Orissa, which was in news for the attack against Christians, reported 178 such incidents till November 30 this year, topping the list followed by Madhya Pradesh (115) and Uttar Pradesh (104).

Last year, Orissa recorded only 15 such cases, while Madhya Pradesh, last year’s
topper, had 180 such incidents and Uttar Pradesh had 138. Maharashtra, which was second last year with 140 cases, had 97 cases this year. Among those 153 killed this year in communal riots, Orissa again topped the list accounting for 28% deaths.