INDIA: Love kills more than terror does in India!

Marriage has been recorded as the primary motive for 200,600 kidnapping cases, most of which related to abduction of women.

• Government records link love to 79,189 suicides that occurred in the time span.

Though it is not clear whether it is precisely love or lust, affairs of the heart seem to have claimed more lives than violence associated with acts of terror, according to a report quoted by a section of the Indian media.

In the 14 years between 2001 and 2015, passion or its frustration has been officially declared the reason for 38,585 murders and culpable homicide cases.

Suicides as well. Government records link love to 79,189 suicides that occurred in the time span.

The bad news does not end there. Marriage has been recorded as the primary motive for 200,600 kidnapping cases, most of which related to abduction of women. This is before marriage. There are no casualty figures available for after the event.

Acts of terrorism exacted a lesser toll. It stole the lives of 20,000 people, including civilians and security forces, in the same period.

According to the data, the heart is on the boil most of the time in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.

These states registered the highest number of murder cases on account of love. Does that make it true love, is a question not answered by the study.

Indeed, a closer analysis reveals it's not so much love as hate and despondency that is responsible for the violence.

Most of the cases include jilted men turning violent, and dejected lovers ending their lives.

Murders, too, are often committed because of inimical social reactions over love affairs that upset class and caste barriers.

The love violence works out to an average of seven murder cases, 14 suicides and 47 kidnapping cases every day. That's a lot of love at work.

Theorists attribute to the old villain patriarchy some of the responsibility, as traditional values do not encourage individual choices in love and marriage.

Caste is another main reason for the carnage, as it prevents social mobility often demanded in inter-caste marriages.

In love-related suicides, West Bengal, generally considered an enlightened place, leads the list. In 14 years, the state witnessed over 15,000 suicides caused by love affairs.

The second highest was 9,405 suicides in Tamil Nadu for the 14-year-period.

These were followed by Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, each with over 5,000 suicides.

In 19 of the 35 Indian states, women outnumbered men when it came to suicides triggered by love affairs.

The actual toll might be a little worse as traditionally male-chauvinistic states like Haryana are known to under-report incidence of suicide and murder related to relationships.

If at the end of all this, you feel like turning your back on love, this paper will not blame you.