Muslims filed the highest number of complaints before the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) over the past five years, according to data shared by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs in the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session.
The ministry informed Parliament that the NCM received a total of 9,557 complaints from minority communities between 2021-22 and 2025-26. Of these, 6,145 complaints were related to the Muslim community, the highest among all notified minority groups.
The Sikh community accounted for 1,222 complaints, followed by 644 complaints from the Christian community.
Law and Order Complaints Top the List
According to the data, the largest category of complaints received by the Commission related to law and order, with 2,059 cases reported during the five-year period.
Another 1,031 complaints were linked to land disputes. The Commission also received complaints concerning education, religious rights, economic issues and other grievances.
The government also informed the Rajya Sabha that the NCM received 31 complaints related to communal violence and 97 complaints concerning hate speech and hate crimes during the same period.
Uttar Pradesh Reported the Highest Number of Complaints
Among states and Union Territories, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of complaints, with 3,484 cases filed by members of minority communities.
It was followed by:
- Delhi: 1,140 complaints
- Maharashtra: 690 complaints
- Punjab: 512 complaints
- Telangana: 392 complaints
- Madhya Pradesh: 381 complaints
- Haryana: 324 complaints
- Bihar: 301 complaints
The remaining complaints came from other states and Union Territories.
Year-wise Complaint Data
The ministry said the NCM received 2,076 complaints from minority communities in 2021-22, followed by 2,423 complaints in 2022-23. The number stood at 1,390 in 2023-24, 1,969 in 2024-25, and 1,699 in 2025-26.
The highest annual number of complaints relating to the Muslim community was reported in 2025-26, when 577 complaints were filed. The figures for previous years were 378 in 2021-22, 303 in 2022-23, 386 in 2023-24, and 415 in 2024-25.
Role of the National Commission for Minorities
The National Commission for Minorities was established in 1992 under the National Commission for Minorities Act to safeguard the rights of notified minority communities under the Constitution and laws enacted by Parliament and state legislatures.
Initially, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis were notified as minority communities. Jains were added to the list through a government notification issued on January 27, 2014.
According to the Commission’s guidelines, members of notified minority communities are expected to first seek relief from their respective State Minority Commissions. If they do not receive adequate redressal, they can approach the National Commission for Minorities after exhausting the available government mechanisms.
