If talk about the UP state alone, then history of conflicts tells that, this state has always remained the worst-hit communal violent state. The Wire has reported that, “Since 2011 to 2015 an approximately 703 religious conflicts were took place in UP alone, leading to 176 deaths and 2007 injuries, the highest in India.” So keeping this in mind here researcher is going to analyse major communal violence incidents of UP in 2015, which are as follows.

 1.Agra 4th January, 2015 (India today, January 6, 2015)

The communal tension was took place on Sunday evening when the procession of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi began passing through the Nai Ki Mandi area. Issue has started with cutting down the electricity cables crossing the street in order to pass their trucks, shutting down power in the market. In between someone started throwing stones at the crowd and violence has erupted. Some shops were allegedly looted and over a dozen people were injured after then large Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) had to be deployed.

 2.Bareilly 16th January 2015 (The Hindu, January 17, 2015)

Communal tension has erupted when protesters came out at the streets after a slaughtered of Cow, which was found outside a religious place in Sahukara Naugaon area in Bareilly on Thursday morning. Police had to choice to lathi charge to control the rioting mob and administration has deployed the two companies of PAC to control the situation. Police has also registered FIR against about 400 people.

 3.Kushinagar 13th-22nd February 2015 (The Indian Express, February 25, 2015)

The Communal tension has started in Madhopur village of UP’s Kushinagar district, when 150 Muslim families reportedly left their homes, fearing a counterblast from BJP MP Yogi Adityanath’s outfit Hindu Yuva Vahini

(HYV) over a land dispute. Heavy police forces including PAC personnel have been deployed in the village to prevent any communal tensions. Two Muslim men were arrested and matter gone peace.

   4.Agra & Mathura 6th March 2015 (The Times of India, March 7, 2015)

The communal tension has erupted on the festive of Holi in Agra and Mathura. Two persons lost their lives in different cases of communal violence and a policeman himself was severely injured in a conflict over a DJ songs. The riot erupted between members of the Jaat and Jatav communities over running a DJ during Holi festive in which two groups from different communities were involved in a tussle. Immediately a heavy police force reached the conflict spot. FIR has also registered in against 60 persons.

  5.Bijnor 13th April 2015 (The Times of India, April 16, 2015)

According to sources, the daughter (12) of Kirpal Singh, a local, was eve- taunt by Ashu Khan (20) on Tuesday morning. The incident led to ramble of religious tensions between both the communities of the village. Police had immediately reached the spot with a large force and control of things before anything untoward could happen in communal point of view.

 6.Agra 16th April 2015 (The Hindu, April 17, 2015)

The atmosphere of Agra has changed into communal air when unidentified persons smashed a church and scratched the statues of baby Jesus and Mother Mary in St. Mary’s Church of Agra Cantonment. Father Moon Lazarus, Priest at the St. Mary’s Church, told the police that the manner in which the statues of Jesus and Mother

Mary were damaged showed it was to “evoke” the Christians.

  7.Shamli 2nd May 2015 (The Hindu, May 4, 2015)

The Communal tension has erupted in the Kandhla area of Shamli on 2nd May, when Muslims clashed with the police over alleged attack of Tablighi Jamaat workers, the social media and on the other hand local WhatsApp groups were abuses with messages claiming a Muslim have a conspiracy to perform “another Godhra” in

Shamli. In this violence 17 people were injured and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has also booked FIR in against of MLA Nahid Hasan (SP) and others two thousand people for supposedly damaged the Rail property.

  8.Meerut 9th May 2015 (Times of India, May 10, 2014)

On Saturday communal violence has started when a few people led by Municipal Councillor Vijay Anand tried to stop the construction of a structure around the well. He said, “I was pulled by the crowd and received blows on my face and head. In no time, stone-pelting has started and about 15 people were left injured” and two young men has also received bullet injuries i.e. Kshitij Arora and Babloo.

  9.Lucknow 29th May 2015 (Indo Asian News Service, May 30, 2015)

A communal clash broke out in the capital of UP, Lucknow on Friday after a minor clash between two communities over the use of a loudspeaker during Friday prayers. Soon stone pelting & opened fire was started by the mob though no one was injured. Immediately police has arrived on the spot and controlled the situation.

10. Muzaffarnagar 29th June 2015(The Hindu, August 30, 2015)

Communal tension has begun on Monday night when four motorcycles borne attacker allegedly shot Satveer (25) outside his house in Bhumma. Immediately dozens of Hindus assembled outside the victim’s house and stated to protest against the police cool reaction. Police said the mob pelted stones and even fired weapons. On the other hand, several Muslims who live close to the area took shelter in the near Mosque. They remained there till Tuesday afternoon till the police not arrived.

11. Shahjahanpur 13th August 2015(Siasat, August 14, 2015)

A day after the protests which were held against over the teasing of a minor girl allegedly by two youths in Jalalabad town of Shahjahanpur district, cousin of one of the accused was shot at by some unidentified men. Immediately the PAC has deployed in the area.

12. Muzaffarnagar 28th August,2015(The Hindu, August 30, 2015)

The conflict started with the attack on a prominent cleric of the area Nazeer Ahmad Qasmi by some workers of

Bajrang Dal, when on Thursday’s night he was on his way home from Delhi. The news this attack soon rounded into a series of rumours in the city. Muslims in Jansath gathered after Friday prayer and demanded immediate action against the Bajrang Dal activists. Meanwhile, clashes has broke out in Kutba village when some victims Muslims of Muzaffarnagar riots-2013 came back to the village to get bricks from their homes to build new houses in other villages, were allegedly beaten by Jats. The situation has become more violent with the involvement of Jat youths.

13. Shamshabad 3rd September, 2015(The Times of India, September 6, 2015)

Communal violence occurred in Shamshabad on Thursday when a group of people from a particular community forced shops to shut after some men from other community thrashed a boy namely Akash Gupta (24) over an

“offensive” post he had posted on Facebook. The mob got angry when the other community’s men tried to hang Akash in public by putting a rope around his neck. The mob that forced shops to shut down also went about setting fire to some makeshift structures. Police then resorted to lathi charge to disperse the clashing mob. More than a dozen people were injured. The police have registered FIR against 150 to 200 persons. FIR was also lodged against the youth who posted an offensive comment.

14. Gonda 23rd September 2015(The Hindu, September 25, 2015)

Communal tension has erupted on Wednesday in Gonda when some members of another community were an allegedly attack on the religious procession of one community. It soon led to the communal fire situation. In this violence several people were get injured critically.

15. Dadri 28th September 2015(The Hindu, November 12, December 29, 2015)

The Communal tension has broke out when Mohammad Akhlaq, 52, was beaten to death on September 28 in Bisahra village in Dadri district by a mob exasperated by rumours that he and his family were eating beef. Akhlaq’s son Mohammad Danish was also beaten up badly. Massive police and paramilitary deployment has helped maintain an uneasy calm at Dadri’s Bishara village. Six men have been arrested so far and search is on for at least four more.

16. Pratapgarh 2nd October 2015(The Indian Express, October 4, 2015)

The Communal conflict on Friday has erupted in Bhulsa village under Hathigawan police station in the area of Pratapgarh district. Instantly heavy security forces along with several senior officials were moved to that area and control the communal tension. According to the source, Zubair Ahmed wanted to build an Idgah on his claimed land. However, a dispute had arisen on the said land after the Gram Sabha claimed to be owner of that property. Soon the land dispute had led to a fight nearly a fortnight ago, in which one man namely Chhabe Lal was attacked.

17. Bisara 3rd October 2015 (The Indian Express, October 4, 2015)

Communal violence erupted in Bisara on Saturday, five days after of Mohammad Akhlaq lynched, when a mob of women residents from the village surrounded Outside Broadcasting (OB) vans and cars which were parked close to Akhlaq’s house and started to pelted stones upon the journalists and also damaged their vehicles. These women’s were shouting and demanding that media leave Bisara. One woman resident told to media that, “why do you go to his (Akhlaq’s) house? Why are you not listening to what the other residents want having to say? The men in our house are being picked up by the police.” In the context of further communal tension, a high security police force in the village had been increased.

18. Chitehra and Kudakhedi 4th October, 2015(The Hindu, October 6, 2015)

The head of a slaughtered calf, pieces of meat and an animal carcass caused tension in two adjoining villages i.e. Chitehra and Kudakhedi. The head of a calf was found in Chitehra village, about four kilometres from Bishahra, on Sunday night. The meat was found in a jungle, on the outskirts of the village, which has several Muslim dominated villages in its vicinity. Several teams of PAC force were quickly deployed in the villages.

19. Kanpur 24th October 2015(Business Standard, October 24, 2015)

The Communal tension was erupted in Kanpur when some Hindu groups took to the streets on Saturday after some posters and banners of Bhagwati Jagran in Babupurwa locality late Friday night were ripped off from the walls. Agitated people jammed the road where Muslims Tazia procession was to be taken out. Some people were also injured when stones were pelted and angry groups have started vandalised property.

20. Mainpuri 6th November, 2015(Times of India, Oct 9, 2015)

A communal riot like situation broke out in Mainpuri, when a mob chased down and nearly lynched four men accused of killing and skinning a cow on rumour basis. Two among of them were hospitalized in critical condition. The situation all started at around 8 am when a group of people said they saw four men skinning a cow. Soon a crowd gathered and demanded that the men who killed the cow get instant, public justice. Within hours flames were seen leaping out of makeshift structures dotting the streets in the area as arsonists roamed around with rods, bamboo sticks and guns. IG, Agra Zone, DC Mishra told that the cow was dead naturally and the men were only removing the skin for sale to a tannery. Our initial probe shows that they had not killed the cow.

21. Aligarh 13th November 2015 (The Tribune,November 15, 2015)

An undeclared curfew-like situation prevails in Aligarh after the death of a boy namely Gaurav (22) year old youth in communal violence which started late on Friday. Additional police force, including the Rapid Action Force (RAF), PAC, Civil Police and Quick Response Team has deployed the old city’s Delhi gate area.

(Written by Nazia Khaleeque, research scholar at Dept. Political Science Aligarh Muslim University. This article was originally published on MuslimMirror.com and reproduced here with permission.