About the Crime in India report: A revert to the mean

Source: The post is based on the article “A revert to the mean – Increase in violent crimes, suicides in 2021 points to indirect consequences of pandemic” published in The Hindu on 2^nd September 2022.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Criminal Justice System.

Relevance: About the recent findings of the Crime in India report.

News: According to the annual report, “Crime in India” released by the NCRB, the registration of violent crimes such as rape, kidnapping, atrocities against children, robberies and murders increased in 2021 to levels set before the pandemic.

Note: The drop in 2020 seemed to be an anomaly, either due to lowered registration or a partial decrease in occurrence as there were extensive lockdowns and office shutdowns.

What are the key findings of the recent Crime in India report?

The overall crime rate (per one lakh people) decreased from 487.8 in 2020 to 445.9 in 2021.

Domestic violence: “Cruelty by husband or his relatives” constituted 31.8% of crimes against women, up from 30.2% in 2020, indicating that domestic violence continued to be a major issue.

Law enforcement was less responsive: While violent crimes increased, the charge sheeting rate fell from 75.8% in 2020 to 72.3% in 2021, as did the conviction rate (57% from 59.2% in 2020).

State-wise violent crime data: Assam (76.6 violent crimes per one lakh people), Delhi (57) and West Bengal (48.7) had the highest numbers while Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu registered the lowest numbers.

Suicide rate: Suicide rate in the population in 2021 was 12 per one lakh people. This was the highest in the last five years. Domestic problems (33.2%) and illnesses (18.6%) were reported as the main reasons.

Most victims are daily wage earners (25.6%) and housewives (14.1%). This reveals the severity of the pandemic and its indirect consequences on people.

Cybercrime: These cases registered a 5.9% jump over 2020. This increase was more so in rural areas. Cyber crime in metropolitan cities (with a population of more than two million people) registered a decline of 8.3% compared to 2020. This indicates the increasing use of digital devices and the related challenges.

The Government must educate people about risks in cyber activities and ensure better law enforcement to curb various crimes.