National Crime Records Bureau Report 2020: Assam records the highest rate of crime against women while Nagaland records the lowest rate in the country

National Crime Records Bureau, (NCRB), 2020 data reveal that Assam tops the list of States in rate of crime against women during 2018. It also tops the list of cases registered under the category of murder with rape. The rising crime rates have turned this state in India’s Northeast into the most unsafe place for women in the country.

The NCRB reports also states that crime rate against women in Nagaland, another state in India’s Northeast region, was the lowest in all the states.

The rate of crime against women in Assam was 166 during 2018 against the national average of 58.8. Nagaland records lowest rate of crime against women with only 7.3. The crime rate is estimated as per lakh population.

The NCRB Crime in India, 2018 report was published in January 2020.

Rate of crime, 2018, NCRB

Rate of crime in North East and India, 2018, NCRB

The NCRB statistics also reveals that crime against women in Assam has been constantly on the rise with a steady increase of registered cases. The figure was 20,869 in 2016, which was increased to 23,082 during 2017 and 27,728 during 2018.

However, Nagaland and Tripura have shown a reverse trend of crime against women since 2016. Nagaland registered the lowest cases of crime against women with 75 during 2018. It was 79 in 2017 and 105 in 2016.

Number of Crime against women in northeast and India, 2018, NCRB

Assam also tops the list of murder with rape with 66 cases registered under this category during 2018. The national figure for the year was 294. Meghalaya recorded 4 such cases while Mizoram recorded one. No such incidents recorded in this category in other states of north east during 2018.

Incidents of dowry death in Assam during the year were 173. In Tripura it was 18. Meghalaya and Sikkim recorded one incidents of dowry death. No cases have been recorded in other states of north-eastern region. The national figure was 7,166.

In case of abetment to suicide of women too, Assam recorded the highest among the north eastern states with 76 cases, followed by Tripura with 14, Manipur with 3, and Arunachal Pradesh with 2. No such cases were recorded in other north-eastern states. Total 5,037 cases have been registered in the country in this category during the year.

Murder with rape/gang rape, dowry deaths, abetment to suicide of Women, 2018:NCRB

Murder with rape/gang rape

Assam has also shown an alarming increase in incidents of rape against women both in adults and minor during 2018.

Altogether 6,401 cases of kidnapping and abduction women registered in Assam during 2018. In Mizoram only one cases registered in this category. The national figure was 72,751. In the category of assault on women with intent to outrage modesty 4,180 cases were registered in Assam. The figure was lowest in Nagaland with 10 cases. The national figure was 89,097.

Kidnapping and abduction of women and Assault on women with intent to outrage modesty_NCRB

Three cases of acid attack on women were also registered in Assam during 2018 against a total of 131 in country. In the category of Dowry Prohibition Act, 196, altogether 1,138 cases have been reported in Assam during 2018. No cases has been registered in other north eastern states during that year.

Ratna Bharali Talukdar