Of the total communal incidents during 2010, a total of 610 communal incidents related to Hindu-Muslim and 48 related to Hindu-Christian. In the Hindu-Muslim communal incidents, 109 persons lost their lives and 1,963 persons were injured during the year compared to 719 such communal incidents during 2009 in which 117 persons died and 2,298 persons were injured. Of the 48 Hindu-Christian communal conflicts during 2010,, two persons died and eight injured compared to 72 such communal incidents in 2009 in which two persons were killed and 44 injured.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has revealed that majority of such communal incidents in 2010 occurred in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Major issues involving Hindu-Muslim conflicts were carrying and slaughtering of cattle, routing religious processions through mixed localities, desecration of places of worship, distribution and playing of provocative CDs/cassettes, dispute over land/property, eve-teasing and personal enmity. Mostly, Hindu-Christian communal incidents related to alleged conversion of persons belonging to lower socio-economic strata through allurement and inducement by Christian Missionary organizations.

In addition, following the Union Cabinet approval in 2007 and 2008, the Central Government released a total sum of Rs.418.74 crores for grant of ex-gratia relief to the victims of Gujarat riots of 2002. Besides, the Centre released Rs.85.75 crores in October 2010 to the Gujarat Government for payment of ex-gratia to the victims for damage to uninsured commercial and industrial properties.

Added to the above, under the Central Scheme for Assistance to Civilian Victims/Family of Victims of Communal, Terrorist and Naxal violence, the Centre provides Rs. 3 lakhs to the affected family for each death or permanent disability in terrorist, communal and Naxal violence. Under this scheme introduced by the UPA Government, a sum of Rs.10, 83,00,000 has been disbursed to the civilian victims during the last three years ending December 2010. Of this, Rs.2, 13,00,000 was released in 2008-2009, followed by Rs.4, 56,00.000 in 2009-2010 and Rs.4, 14,00,000 up to the end of December 2010.

Over the years, the Centre has taken several measures to strengthen communal /social harmony and national integration in the country. It has set up National Foundation for Communal Harmony, National Human Rights Commission for protection of human rights of the people of India, taken steps to sensitize police, other official machinery and judiciary on communal harmony and gender issues, besides monitoring activities of religious fundamental organizations. National Foundation for Communal Harmony has instituted annual awards for communal harmony for individuals and organizations doing exemplary works for promotion of communal harmony and national integration.. It has rehabilitated 10,586 children of victims of communal, terrorist and Naxal violence across the country till January 31, 2011 at a cost of Rs.37.56 crores. It also observes Sankalp Divas and Qaumi Ekta Week every year across the country. And at the apex, there is the National Integration Council (NIC) headed by the Prime Minister with Chief Ministers of States and men and women of goodwill and substance representing all strata of society, to deliberate, discuss, consult and evolve consensus on issues germane to communal harmony and national integration.

Above all, the much hyped enactment of the Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2005, introduced in Rajya Sabha (Upper House) of Parliament of India on December 5, 2005 by the UPA 1 Government, duly cleared by the Standing Committee of Parliament on Home Affairs headed by the BJP M.P. Sushma Swaraj and again okayed by the Union Cabinet, still churned, refined and further fine tuned by the National Advisory Council attached to the UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is still mired in uncalled for controversy over the so called opposition from some state governments for encroaching their Constitutional rights to be sole arbiter in the matters governing law and order as their whole preserve notwithstanding their systematic failure to contain communal flare-ups, partisan law enforcement machinery and discriminatory treatment of dalits and minorities.. The imperatives of such legislation has been necessitated by sustained failure of state governments and globalization of India wherein its civilisational strength of tolerance and unity in diversity must prevail at all costs and in all circumstances if India has to maintain a place of pride in the comity of nations and a right destination for investment and global business opportunity.

Whatever it be, in the ultimate analysis, it is India’s uniqueness of civilisational respect for each other, its time tested civilisational strength of oneness of our people that prevail over such strifes, which our people take in strides and march ahead along the path of peace, progress, harmony, integration and co-existence amidst diversity of culture, languages, castes, communities and religions!