New Delhi:
After a year-long delay, the National Crime Records Bureau finally released the 2017 data on Monday. The report was according to the 2016 format instead of changes and introduction of new categories of crime, which led to the actual delay. Hence, the NCRB data of 2017 has no record of lynchings, radical killings and crime committed by khap panchayats such as horror killings etc. These new categories were introduced under a massive overhaul directed by then NCRB boss Ish Kumar, the Indian Express report said. Under the cartegory of murder, new categories such as lynchings, radical killings etc were put in place. However, the data released on Monday has no details about these sub-categories.
Several reports suggested that in past few years, India has witnessed many incidents of lynchings in which frenzied mobs have targeted people mainly because of their religious or caste identity . It should be noted that despite the NCRB revamp, in 2018, then BJP minister Hansraj Ahir had told Parliament that “The National Crime Records Bureau does not maintain specific data with respect to lynching incidents in the country.” In July this year, the Supreme Court had issued notices to the Centre, National Human Rights Commission and state governments on a plea seeking implementation of the apex court’s 2018 guidelines to prevent incidents of mob lynching.
Meanwhile, the NCRB data shows disturbing, upward trend of crime against women. As many as 3,59,849 cases of crime against women were registered across the country in 2017, continuing the upward trend for the third consecutive year, the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data released on Monday showed. In 2015, 3,29,243 cases of crimes against women were registered and 3,38,954 cases were registered in 2016. The cases categorised as crimes against women include murder, rape, dowry death, suicide abetment, acid attack, cruelty against women and kidnapping, etc.
According to the NCRB data for 2017, which was released after a delay of more than a year, the maximum cases were registered in Uttar Pradesh (56,011) -- the country's most populated state.
Maharashtra recorded the second-highest number of crimes against women with 31,979 cases, followed by 30,992 in West Bengal, 29,778 in Madhya Pradesh, 25,993 in Rajasthan and 23,082 in Assam, the data said.
Delhi, however, saw a decline in crimes against women for the third straight year. As many as 13,076 FIRs were registered in 2017, down from 15,310 in 2016 and 17,222 in 2015, the NCRB report said.
Assam recorded the highest crime rate of 143 in the country in 2017. Crime rate is offences registered per one lakh people. Odisha and Telangana recorded the second-highest crime rate of 94 each, followed by Haryana (88) and Rajasthan (73).
Eight states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura -- registered crimes against women only in three digits, with not even one per cent contribution to the all-India figures, according to the NCRB data. Among Union Territories, Chandigarh registered 453 cases, followed by 132 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 147 in Puducherry, 26 in Daman and Diu, 20 in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and only six in Lakshadweep, the data stated. The NCRB, under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, is responsible for collecting and analysing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code and special and local laws in the country.
With agency inputs
