Crime against women: The crime against women rose by 4 per cent seen in States and Union territories in 2022 as compared to 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report released on Sunday. In the metro cities, with a population of over two million, an increase of 12.3 per cent was recorded in 19 Metro cities in 2022 over the preceding year.
According to the latest NCRB data, a total of 4,45,256 cases of crime against women were registered across India in 2022, almost 51 FIRs every hour, up from 4,28,278 in 2021 and 3,71,503 in 2020.
What cases were registered
According to the annual crime report from NCRB, which operates under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the rate of crime against women per lakh population was recorded at 66.4. Additionally, the charge-sheeting in such cases was reported at 75.8.
The report said that the majority of crimes against women under the Indian Penal Code were of cruelty by the husband or relatives (31.4%) followed by kidnapping and abduction of women (19.2%), assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty (18.7%), and rape (7.1%).
Delhi had highest crime rate
In 2022, Delhi reported the highest rate of crime against women in the country with 14,247 cases, resulting in a rate of 144.4, which is significantly higher than the national average of 66.4. The official data also revealed that the number of such cases in Delhi was 14,277 in 2021 and 10,093 in 2020.
In terms of absolute numbers, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of First Information Reports (FIRs) in cases of crime against women in 2022, with 65,743 cases. Following Uttar Pradesh, other states with significant numbers were Maharashtra (45,331), Rajasthan (45,058), West Bengal (34,738), and Madhya Pradesh (32,765), as indicated by the data.
These five states together contributed to 2,23,635 (or 50.2 per cent) of the total cases lodged in India last year, according to the NCRB, which is tasked with the collection and analysis of crime data.
A total of 12 states and Union Territories recorded crime rates higher than the national average of 66.4. Delhi topped the list at 144.4 followed by Haryana (118.7), Telangana (117), Rajasthan (115.1), Odisha (103), Andhra Pradesh (96.2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (93.7), Kerala (82), Assam (81), Madhya Pradesh (78.8), Uttarakhand (77), Maharashtra (75.1) and West Bengal (71.8).
The rate of crime in Uttar Pradesh, which accounted for almost 15 per cent of the cases in India, was reported at 58.6, according to NCRB.
(With agencies input)