Guwahati: The most recent National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures for indicate that Assam had the highest rate of crime against women in India for the fifth consecutive year.
Assam had a rate of 168.3 crimes against women last year, which is much higher than the national average of 64.5. With 147.6, Delhi came in second, followed by Odisha with 137.8.
The total number of crimes reported divided by 100,000 people is used to compute the crime rate. Assam has a 143.3 percent crime rate against women in 2017, 166 percent in 2018, 177 percent in 2019, and 154.3 percent in 2020.
Compared to the national average of 77.1%, Assam’s rate of charge sheets filed in 2021 for all cases was 52.9%. Assam had 29,046 incidences of crime against women last year, a 10.22% rise over the state’s 26,352 occurrences in 2021. The NCRB report showed that in 2019 the number was 30,025 and in 2018 it was 27,687.
After Uttar Pradesh, which reported 48 cases, Assam had the second-highest number of rape-cum-murder/gang rape incidents in 2020 with 46. The number is significantly higher than the 26 similar occurrences that were noted in Assam in 2021.
The state recorded 1,835 cases of rape last year in comparison to 1,658 cases in 2020. There were 563 cases of attempted rape and 4,511 cases of assault with intention of outraging modesty last year.
“This is one distinction, which no one in Assam wants. One reason for the high numbers could be that most victims in Assam come forward to report cases. And the police register those cases promptly instead of the women being turned away like in some other states,” said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity while quoted by Hindustan Times.
There has been an uptick in dowry murder cases in Assam during the past few years, when they were previously rare and infrequent. In the state, dowry-related cases claimed the lives of 198 women last year; 150 will do so in 2020. In 2021, nine incidents of acid attacks on women were also documented.
12,950 of the total crimes against women reported in Assam last year fell under Section 498A of the IPC, which prohibits cruelty by a husband or his family. In 2021, the state reported 5,866 occurrences of kidnapping and abduction of women, of which 3,362 involved attempts to force marriage.
The state reported 1,948 incidents, of which 1,317 involved child rape, 424 involved sexual assault, and 158 involved sexual harassment under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. The total number of cases under POCSO Act in Assam in 2020 was 1,496.
432 instances of cybercrimes against women were reported in Assam, including the publication or transmission of pornographic content. It is the second-highest number in the nation, after only Odisha’s 565 instances.