Telangana has seen a recent spike in communal tensions and hate crimes, more so than ever, and these incidents are not spontaneous or isolated events, but linked to deeper and more complicated issues of land, identity, and political mobilisation, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) reported.
Titled, “Belonging, Coexistence and Fractures: Documenting state atrocities and fractured coexistence in Telangana,” the report’s comprehensive, in-depth research questioned and explained the underlying issues triggering the hate crimes occurring in recent times.
Communal violence sustained through political strategies
According to the report, communal violence in Telangana is “increasingly produced and sustained through political strategies that benefit from division.”
As with any hate crime, it is intensified when political actors get involved; however, this report also outlines that conflicts arise when, in the case of Muslims, the community improves their social or economic position by owning land or running a business. Interfaith relationships, along with claims of land grabbing and conspiracies of ‘love jihad’, are frequently used to trigger violence.
“Interfaith relationships, particularly involving women, allegations of land encroachment, and rumours around ‘love jihad’ have become flashpoints for violence,” the report read.
According to various scholars, including K Balagopal, when land rights and state accountability remain an ongoing issue, anxieties are not expressed accurately in economic terms. Meaning, they often take a religious or ethnic identity, and that is when issues escalate with a communal angle.
“Balagopal argued that political and communal violence cannot be separated from underlying issues of land relations, caste hierarchy, and the denial of democratic rights. His work cautions against viewing social conflict purely through a communal or law-and-order lens, emphasising instead the structural conditions that allow such conflicts to be mobilised and redirected.”
The report repeatedly stressed the need to view communal violence with the underlying historical problems that have plagued Telangana.
“Such an approach reveals how communalisation diverts attention from structural inequalities and provides breeding grounds for divisive and hate politics.”
Disputed heightened around places of worship
The report further noted that most incidents occurred around places of worship, with disputes often triggered by religious groups.
Such was the case in Chengicherla in the Medchal-Malkajgiri district when communal tensions prevailed around a place of worship following an argument over the use of loud music during a religious event.
“Discussions with members from both communities highlighted that, despite the recent violence and anxiety, people continue to live in close proximity and interact in everyday life. However, an undercurrent of mistrust and unease remains visible,” the report documented.
It highlighted that minor incidents can contribute to bigger incidents when combined with “religious symbolism and festival-related sensitivities.”
“The involvement of political actors and right-wing organisations, driven by vote-bank considerations, appears to have sustained and deepened polarisation rather than allowing space for local dialogue and resolution.”
Police involvement incites an atmosphere of fear
Several members of a madrasa committee said selective policing and harassment by officials occurred around the time of Eid. The report stated there was an “inconsistency in state action,” and an administrative presence is intimidating rather than reassuring.
“This has had a broader impact on the community’s sense of security and belonging.” It therefore connected the mistrust of minority communities with state institutions, which turns festive moments into a time of “heightened vulnerability.”
The Nizamabad police encounter of Riyaz, where police claimed his involvement in illegal activities as opposed to the family’s allegation that he suffered custodial violence, was much-disputed, with the family now having to live in fear, going so far as to install CCTV cameras at home for their safety.
“The contradiction between the police account and postmortem findings underscores the need for independent and transparent investigations. The family’s vulnerability—marked by economic precarity, fear, and bureaucratic obstacles—highlights how access to justice is often out of reach for marginalised communities.”
In the context with caste-based violence, Mahbubnagar has seen various incidents of social conflicts, highlighting caste hierarchies. In November 2025, the alleged honour killing of an 18-year-old woman, Bhavani—reportedly murdered by her father and others after she eloped with a Dalit youth from her village—sparked widespread outrage and drew attention to the risks of caste-driven reprisals linked to consensual relationships.
The killing, which followed strong family opposition to inter-caste marriage, was condemned by civil society groups and prompted police investigations, exposing ongoing hostility toward personal choice across caste lines.
Mancherial’s social tensions are also seen in relation to Adivasi land rights and resource allocation compared to the direct communal violence. Reports have highlighted confrontations between Adivasi residents and forest officials over the demolition of huts and destruction of crops inside the Kawal Tiger Reserve, with tribal communities protesting what they say are actions that threaten their traditional land rights and livelihood security.
Recommendations
The report further issues recommendations for various organisations, including the police, National Human Rights Commission, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) Commission, state government, and civil society.
It called on the SC/ST commission to take immediate notice of violence and hate crimes against the communities, particularly in sensitive areas. It urged time-bound investigations, monitoring of FIR registration, charge sheets, and compensation. It also asked the commission to improve its outreach in making the Dalit and Adivasi communities understand its role.
The report asked for civil society to form peace committees representing minority communities, including women and youth, and develop early response systems to identify and address communal tensions. Further, it urged the society to strengthen Adivasi counter-culture and resistance initiatives and called for collective action among Adivasi, Dalit, Muslims, farmers, workers and women’s movements.
The state government was recommended to reinstate and implement the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and grant ownership rights over assigned land to marginalised families to prevent alienation.
The report additionally urged for police accountability through impartial investigation into communal incidents and caste-based violence. Among other recommendations, it asked the personnel to provide effective victim and witness protection, maintain transparency and take disciplinary action against police officers found complicit in such incidents.
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