Congress-ruled Karnataka is third most communally sensitive state in India?

Bengaluru, Sep 4: Karnataka, which was once known as one of the peaceful states in India, is currently the third most communally sensitive state in country after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, according to the union ministry of home affairs.

Data collected by the ministry show that Congress-ruled Karnataka has seen 291 incidents of communal clashes that left 19 dead and 865 injured from 2013 to May 2016. Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat follow Karnataka. 

However, home ministry of Karnataka has rejected the perspective of union home ministry, which only considered the reported cases of communal clashes including minor ones and ignored the severity of some communal attacks reported in BJP ruled states.

Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara believes that this south Indian state is still known for peace and tranquillity. “There have been stray communal incidents in some parts of the state, but no single incident has ever turned into a catastrophe. Karnataka is not prone to communal violence," he said.

A senior Congress leader told Coastaldigest.com on condition of anonymity that communal forces backed by ruling party of India (Bharatiya Janata Party) have played key roles in most of the communal clashes reported in Karnataka. “They are trying to turn Karnataka into a communal tinderbox for political gains,” he said.

Additional director general of police (law and order) Alok Mohan highlighted the state's low or zero tolerance to communal incidents to say the numbers don't reflect the ground situation.

"In case of a communal incident, we first book a case and take immediate action to prevent outbreak of violence. This is why communal tension lasts barely a couple of hours in Karnataka. In many parts of the country, tension prevails for several days," he said.

With the stage getting ready for the 2018 assembly polls, political observers warn of a spike in communal incidents in the next two years.