Claim that no riots took place in Uttar Pradesh since Yogi Adityanath became CM in 2017 is not backed by data

Context

Several parts of India witnessed communal clashes around the festival of Ram Navami which was celebrated by many Hindus across the country on March 30, 2023. Clashes have mostly been reported from Muslim-dominated areas or around places of worship important for Muslims who are observing the month of Ramadan or Ramzan. Violence was reported in the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka. However, a journalist named Ambrish Singh quote-tweeted a video featuring Aaj Tak news anchor Sudhir Chaudhary where the latter attempts to explain why there were no reports of violence or riots in Uttar Pradesh after Ram Navami, a claim which is misleading. As mentioned, UP, too, saw violence, and reports spoke of a clash between two groups following an argument during a Ram Navami Shobha Yatra in Lucknow. The fight involved stone pelting and physical assault, India Today, which is run by the same group that runs Aaj Tak, reported. Singh's in his tweet, dated April 4, which has received nearly 200 likes, claimed that no riots had been reported in Uttar Pradesh since Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister in 2017. He also lauded the CM for his policy of "zero-tolerance" and added that there has "been the rule of law in the state for six years." A number of other users also posted similar claims. 

In Fact

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) crime data, there were a total of 35,040 rioting cases reported between 2017 and 2021 in Uttar Pradesh. The NCRB is a government agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs responsible for publishing crime data annually. The NCRB data indicates that there were 8,990 cases of rioting reported in 2017, followed by 8,908 cases in 2018, 5,714 cases in 2019, 6,126 cases in 2020, and 5,302 cases in 2021.

The NCRB categorizes rioting into 15 groups, including communal, political, caste conflict, students, and vigilantes, among others. In 2017, Uttar Pradesh recorded 34 incidents of communal rioting. However, there has been a decreasing trend in communal riots in Uttar Pradesh. According to the data, no such incidents occurred between 2018 and 2020, while one case of communal rioting was reported in 2021.

Further, news reports also contradict the claim made on social media. In January 2018, communal violence broke out in UP's Kasganj, widely termed a riot at that time. However, Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh later claimed there were no riots in Uttar Pradesh in 2018 and called the violence a group clash, which, he said, was "effectively checked."

A report by The Indian Express by PTI dated March 14, 2018, states that Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, revealed in the Lok Sabha that there were a total of 195 communal incidents reported in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, leaving 44 people dead, the highest in any state.

According to a February 2020 report by news agency PTI and published by India Today, CM Adityanath stated in the UP Legislative Assembly that 21 people had been killed in riots and protests in Uttar Pradesh over the past six months. The report said that 21 deaths occurred during the anti-CAA protests that turned violent in December 2019. A report by The Quint from February 2020 also says that UP police had registered an FIR against at least 135 people for allegedly protesting against the amended citizenship law in the Bilariaganj area of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. The FIR registered against the protesters mentioned 17 charges, including sedition and rioting.

While the data for the year 2022 has not yet been released, the NCRB data available clearly contradicts the claim that there have been no riots in UP since 2017. A total of 35,040 rioting cases have been reported, including several communal cases. 

This is not the first time such a claim has emerged on social media. The claim surfaced on social media in 2022 after CM Adityanath claimed during a speech in UP's Bijnor that there had been no riots in the previous five years. He has also made the same claim several other times since becoming the CM of Uttar Pradesh. 

The Verdict

Based on the NCRB data, Uttar Pradesh registered 35,040 cases of rioting between 2017 and 2021. The same data shows that there were 35 incidents of communal rioting in the state between 2017 and 2021. Hence, the claim made on Twitter about no riots in UP is false.