Madhya Pradesh ranked first in the country in rape cases where the victims were between 6 and 12 years.

Madhya Pradesh continues to top the list of states reporting the most number of rape cases in the country, with a majority of the victims found to be between the age group of six and 18 years and above 60.

According to the 2017 data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Monday, 5,599 minors and women were allegedly raped in the central Indian state - a 14.6 per cent increase from the 4,882 cases reported in 2016.

A detailed analysis of the NCRB figures also revealed that Madhya Pradesh was second only to Uttar Pradesh in rape cases where the victim was below six years.

However, Madhya Pradesh ranked first in the country in rape cases where the victims were between 6 and 12 years (207 cases), 12-16 years (1,275 cases) and 16-18 years (1,550 cases).

In rape cases involving women between 45-60, the state again topped nationally with 104 cases, while Assam was second with 75 cases. In cases where the victim was 60 years and above, Madhya Pradesh again ranked first with 46 cases, followed by Kerala with 25 cases.

Madhya Pradesh Women and Child Development Minister Imrati Devi recently courted controversy when asked to comment on the alleged honeytrap case in which several high profile names were ensnared. She said, "Women are at fault, but the man is held guilty. If the woman is at fault then the woman should be held guilty. No matter how rich, goons, as long as there is no woman's fault, no man can make a mistake. "

Meanwhile, for overall crimes reported in the country, Madhya Pradesh accounted for 8.8 per cent cases filed across states. It registered 2,69,512 FIRs in 2017, 2,68,614 cases in 2015 and 2,64,418 in 2016, the data showed.

The NCRB, under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, is responsible for collecting and analysing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code and special and local laws in the country.

The IPC is the official criminal code of the country and covers all substantive aspects of criminal law.