'Maharashtra witnesses one communal riot every 20th day'

Vehicles were set on fire as communal riots broke out in Dhule.
Maharashtra has witnessed on an average one communal riot in about every 20 days during the last five years, according to the state police data. Replying to an RTI application, Maharashtra police said a total of 96 riots have happened in the state between the period April 2004 to 2009.

"A total of 525 cases have been registered in this regard of which investigations have been completed in 298 cases," said Rashmi Shukla, first appellate authority, office of the Director General of Police said.

In the RTI query, applicant Ajay Marathe had sought reports of frequent riots from different districts of state.

"Every now and then we get to hear about communal riots happening in some or the other corner of the state. Come any festival and there is thick layer of police patrolling in every nook and corner of the state. It includes the state reserved police, riot controlling squad, rapid action force along with the local police," Marathe said.

"Reports of communal riots are heard more in the district of Thane. There were riots in Rabod area here and nine policemen were transferred, " he claimed quoting from the RTI reponse.