Karnataka sees 65% surge in offences related to religion over four years: Report
Bengaluru: In a troubling development, Karnataka has recorded a sharp rise in offences linked to religion, with cases surging by nearly 65% over the past four years.
Data from the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), cited by The New Indian Express on Thursday, reveals that such incidents rose from 208 in 2021 to 345 in 2024.
As of May this year alone, 123 religion-related cases were registered across the state. Communal and religious riots have also seen a steep increase—jumping by over 133%, from 9 incidents in 2021 to 21 in 2024.
Experts attribute the spike to a combination of misinformation spread through social media, a politically polarised environment, and entrenched religious and caste-based tensions in specific districts. Despite government initiatives such as the creation of an anti-communal wing and a special action force, these measures have shown little tangible impact on the ground, added the report.
A serving police commissioner in the state quoted by TNIE cited several institutional shortcomings. “The police have failed to take preventive actions, such as arresting the accused or invoking the Goonda Act against troublemakers,” the commissioner said.
The commissioner also alleged inconsistencies in enforcement, claiming that arrests are often swift when common citizens are involved, but delayed if the accused are politically connected. “If any religious or communal issue arises, there is often direct political party backing on both sides. Political patronage for communal offenders, regardless of which party is in power, is not a new phenomenon in the state,” the officer noted.
Another senior IPS officer serving as a Superintendent of Police in a district echoed similar concerns, adding that a deep sense of communal hatred has taken root in society. “People are increasingly intolerant, even toward minor mischief by members of other communities,” TNIE quoted him as saying. The officer lamented that low conviction rates allow many offenders to evade justice, encouraging repeat offences.
Previously, communal incidents were often confined to specific areas, but social media has significantly widened their reach. The police, however, are stepping up efforts to curb the spread of communal content online and are engaging in community outreach programmes to improve the intelligence network with local leaders, the report added.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
