Most cases of vigilantism, mob attacks are from southern states

The five southern states—Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala—accounted for more than 50% of the total cases that have been filed in India in 2015 for promoting enmity between different groups.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau data, 419 cases of promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, etc (Sec 153A of the IPC) and imputation and assertions prejudicial to national integration (Sec 153B of IPC) were filed in different police stations across the 29 states in 2015. These two sections, according to legal experts, give a fair idea of the incidents of lynching, vigilantism and mob attacks in a particular state.

Telangana topped the list with 53 cases, followed by Andhra Pradesh (49), Karnataka (46), Tamil Nadu (41) and Kerala (36). The number of cases lodged in the southern states add up to 225. Uttar Pradesh saw the maximum number of FIRs—60—being filed under these two Sections with the majority of them (51) being filed under Section 153A followed by Maharashtra (35) and Rajasthan (23).

In 2014, the maximum number of such cases was reported from Kerala and Karnataka. Kerala saw the most number of cases (65) being filed, followed by Karnataka (46),Rajasthan (39), Maharastra (33) and Uttar Pradesh (26). A total 318 cases were filed in the various states under this section that year.

The states of Chhattisgarh, Goa, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland saw zero cases being registered under these sections, followed closely by Assam (1) and Bihar (1). Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim and Tripura saw zero cases registered in 2014 whereas Goa, Manipur and Mizoram saw only one case registered under these sections in 2014.