Religious Prejudice and Digital Misinformation: Examining Crime Trends in India

Abstract

The access to affordable internet has let the world into a small community with no boundaries. Information and communication can effortlessly disseminated via social media. On the other hand, social media has also expedited the spread of fake news and misinformation. Lately, there has been a growing apprehension regarding how the spread of online disinformation can worsen societal friction, specifically in the context of faith-based disputes. This study examines the relationship between fake news incidents and offences relating to religion in India. Using crime statistics published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the study adopts a multi-level analytical framework to analyse trends at the national level (India), state level (Maharashtra), and district level (Nagpur) between 2019 and 2023. The analysis compares cases registered under Sections 295–297 of the Indian Penal Code, which relate to offences concerning religion, with cases registered under Section 505 related to fake news. Trend analysis and correlation analysis were used to examine the relationship between these variables. The findings indicate that while religion-related offences have shown an increasing trend at national and state levels, fake news cases fluctuate considerably and do not exhibit a strong statistical association with religion-related offences. The study suggests that the relationship between digital misinformation and religious prejudice may be complex and mediated by broader social and political factors rather than being directly observable through aggregated crime statistics. The study highlights the need for further research combining crime data with qualitative analysis of misinformation events in the digital era.