Across India, minorities are overrepresented in jails

News:  National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports show that in almost all the states of the Indian Union, irrespective of the party holding office, religious minorities are over-represented in jail.

What do the NCRB Report data shows?

Muslims are (and were) over-represented among jail inmates in almost all the Hindu-majority states. For example, In Assam, Muslims, according to the 2011 census, are 34% of the population and they represent 43 to 47.5% of the “undertrials”. In Gujarat, Muslims are 10% of the population and since 2017, they have been about 25-27% of the “undertrials.

The only major state where Muslims have been under-represented among the “undertrials” is Bihar, where Muslims are 17% and they represent 15% of the undertrials.

Similarly, Hindus are overrepresented in states where they are in the minority. eg In J&K Hindus are 28.5% of the population and represent 34-39.5% of undertrials and 42.5-50.5% are convicts.

Why the situation is alarming?

In almost every state, the minorities are over-represented in jail and the majorities are under-represented, irrespective of the ideology of the ruling party. This is a clear indication of the communalisation of the police that tends to prevail.

This problem can be solved by the recruitment and promotion of policemen from minority communities.

Source: This post is based on the article “Across India, minorities are overrepresented in jails” published in the Indian Express on 10th December 2021.