NCRB Data Shows 16% Increase in Crimes Against Women in Modi Govt’s Terms

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) finally released the ‘Crime in India’ report for the year 2017 after a delay of more than one and a half years, which showed a shocking increase of 16% in crimes against women when compared to 2013—the last year before the Modi government came to power.

According to the report, there were 3.59 lakh registered cases of crimes against women in 2017,which means a crime was committed against women every one and a half minutes during the year. In 2013, the number of cases was 3.09 lakh. The rate of crimes committed against women (incidence of crime per one lakh women) in 2013 was 52.24. In 2017, after three and a half years of Modi government, this had increased to 57.9.

The conviction rate of crimes against women saw only a slight increase between the years 2014 and 2017. In 2014, the rate was 21.3%. In 2017, it was 24.6%, showing an increase of just 3.3%. The conviction rates for several crimes, and in several states, was much less than this. At 74.5%, Nagaland had the highest rate of conviction, followed by Mizoram (71.4%), Uttar Pradesh (66.4%), and Uttarakhand (62.9%).

Even though there was a slight decline in the number of incidences of rape, dowry deaths, and cruelty by husbands and his relatives, the numbers still remain very high. The number of incidences of assault on women with an intent to “outrage their modesty” saw a shocking increase.

Out of all the crimes committed against women in the country, Uttar Pradesh had the highest share at 15.6%, followed by Maharashtra (8.9%), Madhya Pradesh (8.3%), and Rajasthan (7.2%). The rate of crimes against women was the highest in Assam, at 143.6, followed by Delhi (133.3), Telangana (94.7), and Odisha (94.5).

In the year 2017, 32,559 incidences of rape were reported, which shows a slight decrease of 3.41% from the year 2013. The number of victims was 33,658. Among the states, Maharashtra had the largest number of rape incidences at 5,562, followed by Uttar Pradesh (4,246), Rajasthan (3,305), and Odisha (2,070). Among the Union Territories, Delhi witnessed the highest number of rape incidents, at 1,229. The conviction rate for incidences of rape was 32.2%. According to the report, 93.1% rapes were committed by offenders known to the victims. The victims of rape were girls under the age of 18 in a shocking 30.9% of the cases.

In the year 2017, the number of incidents of dowry deaths was 7,466, a decrease of 7.63% from 2013. Uttar Pradesh saw the highest number of incidents at 2,524, that is, 33.8% of the total incidents that occurred across that country. It was followed by Bihar (14.48%), Madhya Pradesh (8.46%), and West Bengal (6.68%). The conviction rate for dowry deaths was 41.4%.

The number of cases registered under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, saw a decrease of only 5.51%, going from 10,709 in 2013 to 10189 in 2017. Uttar Pradesh again had the highest number of registered cases at 2,938, followed by Odisha (2,316), Karnataka (1,567), Jharkhand (1,186), and Bihar (1,097). The conviction rate for cases registered under the act was 23.2%.

The number of registered incidences of cruelty against a woman by her husband and his relatives was very high, at 1,04,551. Even though this is a decrease of 12% compared to 2013, the number still remains a huge cause of concern. West Bengal alone accounted for 16.07% of the cases, followed by Uttar Pradesh (12.1%), Rajasthan (11%), and Assam (9.36%). The conviction rates for this crime was just 15.9%.

Assaults on women with intent to outrage their modesty accounted for 23.9% of all crimes against women. The number of incidences during the year were 86,001. This was a sharp increase of 21.57% from 2013. The maximum number of incidents happened in Uttar Pradesh, with the state accounting for 14.66% of all cases registered in the country with 12,607 cases. Uttar Pradesh was trailed by Maharashtra (9,392), Madhya Pradesh (9,252), and Odisha (9,132). Among the Union Territories, Delhi had the highest number of cases at 2,874. 8,269 cases of assault, that is, 9.6% of the assaults on women with intent to outrage their modesty happened on girls under 18 years of age. The conviction rate was 27.8%.

Cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Violence (POCSO) Act that had female victims accounted for 8.8% of all crimes against women. The number of cases across India was 31,668. With 5,174 cases, Maharashtra accounted for the highest share, followed by Uttar Pradesh (4,791), and West Bengal (2,106). Delhi accounted for 1,558 cases. The conviction rate was 33.1%.

The 19 metropolitan cities across the country accounted for 11.35% of all crimes against women. Delhi had the highest share at 11,542, that is, 28.26% of all crimes against women that took place in metropolitan cities.

Even though PM Modi has repeatedly claimed that his government is committed to women’s safety and security, the data says otherwise. The progress made up to the year 2017, by when the BJP government had already been in power for three and a half years, is almost negligible.