The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has recently publicized the annual Crime in India 2019 report. The report indicates a rising trend in crimes against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in 2019 compared to 2018.
Increased Crimes Against SCs and STs
The report highlights a significant rise in crimes against SCs and STs in 2019. Crimes against SCs saw an increase of over 7%, while crimes against STs witnessed a 26% spike compared to 2018. Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of crimes against SCs, followed by Rajasthan and Bihar. Conversely, Madhya Pradesh recorded the most significant number of offenses against STs, with Rajasthan and Odisha trailing closely behind.
Types of Crimes
Crimes against SCs and STs are categorized under the following classifications: atrocities committed by non-SC/ST members according to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989 (POA Act), offenses listed under the Indian Penal Code, and violations under the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, which stipulates punishment for Untouchability practice and preaching.
Data Shortage
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) noted that only a limited number of cases involving specific discriminatory action against SCs and STs under the POA Act are registered. Such actions are mainly registered when accompanied by any IPC offenses like rape or murder. Moreover, there’s no comprehensive data on the total number of complaints received regarding crimes against SCs; only the number of registered cases is available.
Other Crime Data
Cognizable crimes, comprising Indian Penal Code (IPC) offenses and Special and Local Laws (SLL) crimes, registered a 1.6% increase in 2019 compared to 2018. Crimes against women also increased by 7.3% in 2019. With an average of 88 cases reported daily, most cases were related to cruelty by husband or his relatives. Other common offenses included assault with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty, kidnapping & abduction of women, and rape.
As for cybercrimes, there was a substantial increase of 63.5% in 2019, with fraud being the most common motive in 60.4% of registered cases, followed by sexual exploitation.
Relevant Updates
Supreme Court recently affirmed the constitutional validity of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2018, which was previously challenged for violation of the fundamental right to equality (Article 14) and personal liberty (Article 21). The amendment act adds Article 18A, noting that no preliminary enquiry shall be required for registering a First Information Report against any person.
About the National Crime Record Bureau
The NCRB, established in 1986 under the Ministry of Home Affairs, serves as a repository of information on crime and criminals to aid investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators. It was created based on recommendations from the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the MHA’s Task Force (1985). The bureau publishes annual comprehensive crime statistics across the country (‘Crime in India’ report), which has been a key instrument in understanding the country’s law and order situation since its first publication in 1953.