Several Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly have declared cases in which they have been charged with inciting communal tension. The Association for Democratic Reforms in a report gives details of elected representatives with such charges.
The charges for inciting communal tension fall under three provisions of the Indian Penal Code:
Promoting enmity between religious groups (IPC 153A)
Destruction of religious places (IPC 295)
Committing acts intended to outrage religious feelings (IPC 295A)
11 sitting MPs have declared cases under IPC Section 153A. Nine out of the 11 MPs are from the Lok Sabha and two are members of the Rajya Sabha
26 sitting MLAs have declared cases under IPC Section 153A.
Three sitting MPs have declared cases under IPC Section 295A.
Nine sitting MLAs from various states have declared cases under IPC Section 295A.
Three sitting MPs have declared cases under IPC Section 295.
Five sitting MLAs have declared cases under IPC Section 295.
Among the political parties, 14 Bharatiya Janata Party MPs and MLAs (7 MPs and 7 MLAs), 5 All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen MPs and MLAs (1 MP and 4 MLAs), 4 MPs and MLAs from Samajwadi Party (1 MP and 3 MLAs), 4 MLAs from Telangana Rashtra Samithi, 2 MLAs from Janata Dal-United and 1 MLA each from Indian National Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Pattali Makkal Katchi have declared cases under IPC Section 153A.
12 Uttar Pradesh MPs and MLAs (4 MPs from Lok Sabha, 1 MP from Rajya Sabha and 7 MLAs), 10 Andhra Pradesh MPs and MLAs (1 Lok Sabha MP, 1 Rajya Sabha MP and 8 MLAs), 4 MLAs from Bihar, 4 Karnataka MPs and MLAs (2 MPs and 2 MLAs, 3 Tamil Nadu MPs and MLAs (1 MP and 2 MLAs) have declared cases under IPC Section 153A.
Among all parties, 5 BJP MPs and MLAs (1 MP and 4 MLAs) and 5 All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen MPs and MLAs (1 MP and 4 MLAs) have declared cases under IPC Section 295A.
Image: A man rides his motorbike on a deserted street during a curfew in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh
Photograph: Reuters
