Dalits block traffic in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, after four men belonging to the community were beaten while trying to skin a dead cow at Una village in July, 2016. In 2015, human trafficking increased 42%, enmity between different groups 26%, road rage 10%, forgery 23%, theft 6%, according to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau
More crime was reported in 2015 across India than in any year since 2005, when the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) started collating crime data from states.
The crime rate—crimes reported per 100,000 population—increased to 581 in 2014 and 582 in 2015 from 456 in 2005, new NCRB data show. It was around 570 in 2009 and 2010.
The same crime rate in 2014 and 2015 hid many increases and decreases in crimes reported.
In 2015 human trafficking increased 42%, enmity between different groups 26%, road rage 10%, forgery 23%, theft 6%.
Among crimes that reported a decrease were offences against the state, 17%, crimes against women 5%, dowry deaths 10% (still, 7,634 women died in 2015), husbands “showing cruelty towards wives” 8% and robbery 5%.
While rapes, murders and dacoities reduced, this did not appear to be for want of trying: Attempts to rape, attempt to murder and “making preparation and assembly for committing dacoity”, as the NCRB puts it, increased.
Uttar Pradesh records most crimes; Kerala has highest crime rate
Poll-bound Uttar Pradesh recorded 2.8 million crimes for a population of 200 million, more than any other state; the crime rate was India’s second highest: 1,293 per 100,000 population.
Kerala was second in crimes recorded–possibly an outcome of better reporting and registering—650,000; Kerala’s crime rate, 1,838 crimes per 100,000 population, three times the national average of 582 crimes per 100,000 people.
Tamil Nadu was third in crimes recorded, Chhattisgarh has India’s third-highest crime rate.
Bihar and Jharkhand reported a lower crime rate than other large states—possibly a consequence of low reporting and registration of crime—although they topped in riot cases.
Delhi reported the highest rate of rapes–23.7 per 100,000 population— followed by Chhattisgarh (12.2) and Madhya Pradesh (11.9). About 34,000 rapes were registered nationwide, with a rate of 5.7 rapes per 100,000 population.
Uttar Pradesh is the only state that reported rapes in police custody, 91.
(Waghmare is an analyst with IndiaSpend.)
Article was first published on India Spend