JAIPUR: With eight reported incidents of hate crime in 2018, an international human rights advocacy group has ranked Rajasthan as number three in the country where people from weaker sections were subjected to horrendous crimes.According to Amnesty International , Uttar Pradesh tops the list, followed by Gujarat and Rajasthan.The ranking comes even as the state is feeling the heat on chilling incidents of mob violence and hate crimes such as Pehlu Khan lynching case in Alwar and Afrazul hacking case in Rajsamand The Amnesty’s “Halt the hate,” website marked eight cases which it distinguished as “hate crimes,” and took place in 2018. Most of these cases pertain to the atrocities against dalits and minorities.The incidents recorded by the group includes attack on a pre-wedding procession by dalit family in Bhilwara in May, killing of two teenage dalit boys in Alwar during Holi celebrations in March, and death of a 27-year-old youth during police firing in Khairthal, in Alwar in April 2.Adding to the list was a chilling episode that took place in February in Sirohi where a 22-year-old youth was arrested after a disturbing video of him slapping a Muslim beggar and forcing him to chant religious slogans went viral on social media groups.In the three-minute video the accused in an inebriated condition was seen slapping Mohammad Salim (45) and hurling expletives at him. The video led to the police arresting the accused Vinya Kumar Meena.According to the group’s website, the state recorded 18 incidents of what it described as “hate crimes,” in 2017 and 10 in 2016. The Rajasthan minority commission chairman Jasbir Singh refuted the report and said that barring a few “aberrations,” and sporadic incidents, the minorities are living in confidence in Rajasthan.“Whenever such incidents are reported we have quickly taken cognizance of it,” Singh told TOI.

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