What is the issue?
Increase in violent crimes, suicides in NCRB’s Crime in India report 2021 points to indirect consequences of pandemic.
What is NCRB ?
- Origin- The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) was established in 1986 with the aim of establishing a body to compile and keep records of data on crime.
- Ministry- It functions under the Union Home Ministry.
- Functions- Its functions include collection, coordination and exchange of information on inter-state and international criminals to the respective states.
- NCRB also acts as a national warehouse for the fingerprint records of Indian and foreign criminals, and assists in locating interstate criminals through fingerprint search.
- Reports of NCR
- Crime in India
- Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI)
- Prison Statistics India
- Report on Missing Women and Children in India
- Fingerprint in India
What is the status of violent crimes in India in 2021?
- Registration in violent crimes such as rape, kidnapping, atrocities against children, robberies and murders increased in 2021 in comparison to the drop in 2020.
- Overall crime rate- The overall crime rate (per 1 lakh people) decreased from 487.8 in 2020 to 445.9 in 2021.
- Major crimes- Cruelty by husband or his relatives constituted 31.8% of crimes against women.
- Chargesheeting and conviction rate- While violent crimes increased, the chargesheeting rate fell as did the conviction rate.
- State wise data- Assam (76.6 violent crimes per one lakh people), Delhi (57) and West Bengal (48.7) had the highest numbers.
- Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu registered the lowest numbers.
- Safest city- Kolkata has emerged as the safest city in 2021 with the fewest cognisable offences recorded per lakh of its population.
What about the status of suicides?
- Suicide rate- The report revealed that the suicide rate in the population in 2021 — 12 per one lakh people was the highest in the last five years.
- Main reasons- Domestic problems (33.2%) and illnesses (18.6%).
- Other causes- Drug abuse/addiction, marriage-related issues, love affairs, bankruptcy or indebtedness.
- Victims- Most victims are daily wage earners (25.6%) and housewives (14.1%).
- Region- Delhi saw a massive 24% jump in suicides, followed by Chennai and Bengaluru.
What does the report signify?
- Domestic violence continues to be a major issue.
- The decrease in crime rate is largely due to a decrease in cases registered under disobedience to a public servant’s order, relating to lockdowns.
- The decrease in chargesheeting rate and conviction rate signifies the poor response of law enforcement in a year with more violent crimes.
- The 5.9% jump in cases registered as cybercrimes over 2020 indicates the increasing use of digital devices and the related challenges.
- With India registering the highest excess deaths during the pandemic, according to the World Health Organization, these figures are not surprising.
