Crimes against women fell by 8.3% in 2020, Rajasthan saw highest number of rape cases: NCRB

Cases of crime against women dipped by 8.3 per cent in the year 2020 when compared to 2019, even though nearly 77 rape cases were reported on an average every day across the country, according to the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau. 

The NCRB data, released on Tuesday, shows that a total of 371,503 cases of crime against women across the country last year in comparison to 405,326 in 2019 and 378,236 in 2018. Crimes against women includes cases of rape, outraging modesty, dowry deaths and harassment, acid attacks and kidnapping.

Majority of crimes against women under IPC were registered under ”cruelty by husband or his relatives” (30 percent) followed by ”assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty” (23 percent), ”kidnapping and abduction of women” (16.8 percent) and ”rape” (7.5 percent).

Among states and Union territories, Uttar Pradesh topped the list with maximum number (49,385) of such cases followed by West Bengal (36,439), Rajasthan (34,535), Maharashtra (31,954) and Madhya Pradesh (25,640).

The number of rape cases, as defined in Indian Penal Code section 376, stood at 32,033 in 2019, 33,356 in 2018 and 32,559 in 2017. The figure for 2016 was 38,947, as per NCRB data from corresponding years.

Rajasthan reported the highest number of rape cases in 2020 which stood at 5,310, followed by Uttar Pradesh which stood second on the list with 2,769 such incidents. Madhya Pradesh with 2,339 cases stood third in the list, followed by Maharashtra (2,061 cases) and Assam (1,657 cases).

While Rajasthan saw the maximum number of rape cases in 2020, it saw a decline of 11.45 per cent in rape cases when compared to 2019. Similarly, it also saw a dip in crimes against women by 16 per cent.

Besides rape, there were 85,392 cases of “assault to outrage modesty and 3,741 cases of “attempt to commit rape”, the NCRB data showed. There were 105 cases of acid attack logged across the country during 2020, according to the NCRB.

India also recorded 6,966 cases of dowry deaths with 7,045 victims last year, the data showed.

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 by special and local laws in the country.