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 sharp spike in 2013. In Mumbai, in contrast, while the number of reported rapes was comparatively lower, there was a sharp 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 alleged gang rapes.

For the country as a whole, 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. There was a sharp rise in reported crimes against women between 2012 and 2013, as a result of increased awareness following the December 2012 gang-rape, but the increase was sharply lower between 2013 and 2014, the police say.

While the share of reported rape cases in which the offender was known to the victim remained significantly high at 86 per cent, it was substantially lower than in past years, when the proportion was 94 per cent or higher.

There was a sharp rise in reported crimes against women between 2012 and 2013, as a result of increased awareness following the December 2012 gang-rape, but the increase was sharply lower between 2013 and 2014, the police say.

While the share of reported rape cases in which the offender was known to the victim remained significantly high at 86 per cent, it was substantially lower than in past years, when the proportion was 94 per cent or higher.

The new data all but establish Delhi as the country’s crime capital; the rate of cognisable crime under Indian Penal Code charges, which grew by only a few percentage points for the country as a whole, nearly doubled for Delhi, to 856 per lakh population.

This places the city next only to Indore in terms of cognisable crime proportionate to its population, but Indore’s crime rate grew only marginally between the two years.

Contributing to the spike in Delhi was a sharp increase in cases of robbery, burglary and theft, especially auto theft. The capital now accounts for over a fifth of all crime in all big cities.

Nationally, the country recorded nearly 34,000 murders. The country recorded 66,000 incidents of riots, but the majority was classified as not sectarian, political or caste-based but as “others”.