Riot, Strike and Malicious Damage Cover

## What it covers Riot, Strike and Malicious Damage (RSMD) cover indemnifies you for physical loss or damage to insured property — a home, shop, factory or vehicle — arising from riots, strikes, civil commotion, and deliberate (malicious) acts of vandalism by people not acting on your behalf. Think of a car torched during a protest, a shopfront smashed in a bandh, or factory machinery damaged in a labour agitation.

## How it fits into Indian policies RSMD is typically not a standalone product but a named peril within larger covers:

- In motor own-damage / comprehensive policies, riot and strike damage is generally included as a covered peril (along with fire, theft and natural calamities). Pure third-party motor insurance does not cover it. - In home and commercial property insurance — including the standardised IRDAI products Bharat Griha Raksha (home), Bharat Sookshma Udyam Suraksha and Bharat Laghu Udyam Suraksha (MSMEs) — RSMD is a bundled peril within the fire-and-allied-perils section.

## Why it matters in India India periodically sees localised unrest — bandhs, communal flare-ups, agitations — that can damage vehicles and shops with no warning and no recoverable culprit. RSMD cover is the route to a payout when no individual can be held liable, which is precisely when the loss would otherwise fall entirely on you.

## Key exclusions and tips - War, mutiny, terrorism and civil war are usually *excluded* from ordinary RSMD; terrorism needs a separate add-on (commonly via the Indian Market Terrorism Risk Insurance Pool). - Some policies impose a time/aggregate clause or excess for riot claims. - Document everything: file an FIR, photograph the damage, and inform the insurer promptly — riot/strike claims are scrutinised closely.

Bottom line: if you own a vehicle, shop or factory in a busy urban area, confirm RSMD is part of your policy. For most comprehensive motor and standard property covers it already is, but verify the wording rather than assume — and add terrorism cover separately if your location warrants it.