Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The numbers of cases of hate speech in the state have tripled in 2022, making Madhya Pradesh 7 state in the country with Uttar Pradesh on the top, said NCRB report-2020.
Last year, the number of hate speech offences nearly-tripled to 108 in Madhya Pradesh from 38 reported in 2021. The state had recorded 73 such cases in 2020, official figures showed.
In all 1523 cases were registered under IPC section 153A that penalises for promoting enmity between different groups, including offences of hate speech, across India in 2022.
With 217 cases, Uttar Pradesh stands on the top in hate speech cases followed by Rajasthan (191), Maharashtra (178), Tamil Nadu (146), Telangana (119), Andhra Pradesh (109), and Madhya Pradesh (108). In some states, the figure doubled in 2022 from previous year like in Uttar Pradesh it rose to 217 from 108), Maharashtra to 75 from 178 , Rajasthan to 83 from 191 and in Gujarat from 11 to 40.
Assam, which had reported 147 offences under IPC 153A in 2020, registered 75 cases in 2021 and last year the figure came down to 44.
In 2022, nine states registered over 100 cases under IPC sections 153A, while in 2021 there were just two states - Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh - with such offences in three-digits. Both Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh had reported 108 IPC 153A offences in 2021.
National capital Delhi recorded 26 cases in 2022, 17 in 2021 and 36 in 2020. Jammu and Kashmir showed 16 such offences in 2022, 28 in 2021 and 22 in 2020, the official data revealed.
