Around 6,200 complaints were received by the National Commission for Minorities between April 2018 and November 2021 with those from Muslims topping the list accounting for 72.38% of the total complaints.
An analysis also showed that half of the complaints between 2018-19 and 2020-21 was related to law and order related issues while service matters accounted for 355.
According to figures provided by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, 2018-19 saw the highest number of complaints and it decreased in the next two years -- 1,670 in 2019-20 and 1,463 in 2020-21. However, the number is expected to rise in 2021-22 as the number has already touched 1,234 as of November 22.
When it comes to the number of complainants religion-wise, Muslims filed 4,543 complaints between 2018-19 and 2021-22 till November 22, 2021. Sikhs were a distant second with 481 followed closely by Christians at a close third with 456. Jains filed 203 complaints followed by Buddhists 152 and Parsis just 15.
If one takes year-wise figures, Muslims filed 1,344 complaints in 2018-19 followed by 1,232 and 1,103 in the next two fiscals while there were 864 in this fiscal till November 22.
According to official statistics, people other than the six minority communities -- Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis -- filed 388 complaints during the period.
When one takes the nature of complaints, a written reply by Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to a question by Rajya Sabha BJP MP Rakesh Sinha showed that law and order related complaints topped the list -- 2,508 or 50.11% out of 5,004 complaints filed between 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Service matters (355), educational matters (192), religious rights (146) and Wakf related (133) were among other major areas of complaint.
Interestingly, not a single complaint related to land disputes were reported in 2018-19 and 2019-20 while 119 were filed in 2020-21 alone. Similarly, 83 cases were filed against police officials, 37 against government officials, 20 against the administration and five on communal violence.
Naqvi said the NCM calls for reports from concerned authorities and summons them, if necessary, and makes suitable recommendations or forward the complaints to the appropriate authorities.
"The complaints concluded as propaganda, false, frivolous and anonymous are closed with the approval of the competent authority," he said in the reply tabled in Rajya Sabha on November 29.
The NCM has conducted 115 hearings between 2018-19 to 2020-21 to enquire about whether the complaints were genuine or not. While 44 such hearings were held in 2018-19, 51 were held next fiscal. In 2020-21, the number slid to 20, apparently due to Covid-19 lockdown and restrictions.
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