In a report, it has been claimed that crimes in India saw a ‘marginal increase’ in the first 45 days of this year (2018) as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Citing the official data, the TOI report points out that the cases of murder, abduction, rape, dowry death, and fatal accidents have seen a spike as compared to the last year. The government has been unable to check crimes even in the national capital. The report cites many abduction cases, and dowry death cases to support the data. It further adds that the country on an average is witnessing a death due to dowry every second day. The spike in crimes is a major concern as the crime rate in India was already quite high. It is worth mentioning here that, in 2016, according to the NCRB data, the total crimes were recorded to be 2.97 million while the crime rate was found to be 379 crimes per lakh population.
Coming to the specifics of the report, the murder count has increased from 53 to 59, cases of kidnapping for ransom increased from 1 to 3, the rape case went up to 243 from 240, and the death due to dowry case also saw a spike increasing from 14 to 19. Notably, all these data are a comparison of the crime recorded in the first 45 days with the crimes during the same period in 2016. The molestation cases have seen a nominal dip from 378 cases last year to 315 cases this year.
The report adds that the crime figures will rise substantially if last week cases are taken into account. Some of the horrific cases, that took place last week, include the Unnao incident where a Dalit girl was burnt alive by a group of unidentified men. Another incident which shook the nation from within was from Mumbai where a 45-year-old man was arrested for raping his own minor daughter. The national capital Delhi saw the murder of two men on Thursday by a group of bikers.
A 2017 report by Global Peace Index had claimed India to be the fourth most dangerous country for women travellers. Gender Vulnerability Index 2017 compiled by Ministry of Women and Child Development found Bihar, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand to be the bottom four in terms of safety. The data highlight the urgent need to ensure proper law and order situation in the country.
