Number of cases proportionate to women population earns it infamy

For the first time in history, Delhi is officially the “rape capital” of India. Even while the pace of increase in the number of reported rapes in the city has slowed down, the number of such cases proportionate to its women population was higher than for any other city or State last year.

During the past years, Delhi reported a larger actual number of reported rapes than other cities, but cities in Madhya Pradesh, including Gwalior and Jabalpur, reported higher numbers of rapes proportionate to their populations. This year, Delhi is higher in both absolute and proportionate terms, show data from the National Crime Records Bureau released on Tuesday. The NCRB collates data from all first information reports filed in police stations across the country. The city reported 1,813 rapes in 2014, up from 1,441 in 2013. While Delhi continues to lead other big cities in the number of reported rapes, the increase in reported cases has tapered after a spike in 2013. In Mumbai, while the number of reported rapes was lower, there was a spike between 2013 and 2014, from 391 to 607 cases. Nearly all of India’s custodial rape — 189 of 197 cases — was reported in Uttar Pradesh, which along with Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest numbers of gang rapes.

In the country, as the number of reported crimes against women increased to over 3.3 lakh, or 56 incidents per lakh women, the rate of increase has tapered off.