“Public Order” and “Police” are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. The responsibility of maintaining law and order, registration and prosecution of crimes against all citizens including minorities, rests with the respective State Governments. Government of India monitors the internal security and law and order situation in the country and issues appropriate advisories to States from time to time to maintain peace, public tranquillity and communal harmony. Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are deployed to aid and assist State Governments, on their request, to maintain law and order and public tranquillity. Government of India has issued communal Harmony Guidelines, which, inter-alia lay down standard operating procedure to deal with situations arising out of communal violence. These guidelines are aimed to maintain due vigilance, careful planning and preparatory measures to prevent and pre-empt communal violence.

Further, the details of the complaints with the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), in the last five years is annexed.

Whenever NCM receives any complaint in the matter, reports are called from the concerned Authorities. In some cases, when the report is not satisfactory, NCM also conducts hearings to resolve the issue. Further, in cases of media reports, NCM takes suo moto cognizance and calls for report.

ANNEXURE

This information was given by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

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N. Ao//(MoMA_RSQ-1989)