Assam tops list of crimes against women: National Crime Reports Bureau

GUWAHATI: Dr Samujjal Bhattacharjya, the chief adviser of All Assam Students' Union (AASU), has alleged that Dispur is responsible for pushing the State at the top of the list of crimes against women in the country.

Dr Bhattacharjya told The Sentinel on Thursday that the latest data released by the National Crime Reports Bureau (NCRB) has revealed that the crimes against women are the highest in Assam. He said that the rate of crimes against women in Assam is three times higher than the national average. Crime rate is calculated as the number of crimes recorded per one lakh population.

"It is a matter of serious concern for Assam where women are put on high pedestal. The State Government is solely responsible for such an alarming development. The government must ensure the safety of women in the State under any circumstance," said Dr Bhattacharjya.

As per the NCRB's figures, the rate of crimes against women in Assam stood at 166 in 2018—which is almost three times more than the national average rate of 58.8; and marginally above the Delhi's crime rate of 149.6.

Assam registered 23,082 and 27,728 crimes against women in 2017 and 2018 respectively. In 2017, the rate of crime against women in Assam was 143.3 against the national figure of 57.9. Delhi came second with a rate of 133.3, followed by Telangana at 94.7 and Odisha at 94.5.

There were 66 cases of rape and murder in Assam in 2018, followed by 46 in Madhya Pradesh and 41 in Uttar Pradesh. In 2018, cyber crimes against women were also the highest in Assam with 295 cases.

The newly floated regional political party — the 'Assam Jatiya Parishad' (AJP) has alleged that the data have punctured the tall claims of the ruling BJP to ensure welfare of women.

"The figures are very disturbing. But this issue has also indicated that women from Assam now feel more empowered to report crimes against them. Support of family, community and women NGOs to register cases can be attributed to the development," said woman activist Shahnaz Begum.