Crimes against women in Delhi up by 16.9%: Data

The maximum spike in the number of cases was reported under the cruelty by husband category (section 498-A/406 of the Indian Penal Code). Cases under this category reported a nearly 30% spike. While 2,096 such cases were registered in 2021, this year the number went up to 2,704

Delhi reported more cases of rape, molestation, kidnapping and cruelty by husband till July 15 this year, compared to the same duration last year, according to the latest data shared by the Delhi Police on Wednesday.

Overall, the city reported a 16.9% increase in cases of crime against women, compared to the last year till July 15. (HT archive)

Overall, the city reported a 16.9% increase in cases of crime against women, compared to the last year till July 15.

Though the city reported a marginal increase in cases of rape from 1,033 last year to 1,100 this year till July 15, the Capital witnessed one of its worst cases of gang-rape and torture in January this year. A 20-year-old married girl was gang-raped, tortured, her hair chopped off and paraded through the streets of an east Delhi locality where her family lived. More than 11 people have been arrested in this cases, including eight women.

This was followed by another shocking incident the next month when an 87-year-old bedridden woman was raped and assaulted by a drunk man at her residence in Tilak Nagar.

Data, over the years, has shown that Delhi has had a poor record on women’s safety. According to the 2020 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, crimes against women in Delhi declined by 24.65% in 2020 as compared to 2019, possibly on account of the Covid-19 pandemic that kept people mostly indoors last year, the city still topped the Union Territories (UTs) in the number of rapes reported.

The maximum spike in the number of cases was reported under the cruelty by husband category (section 498-A/406 of the Indian Penal Code). Cases under this category reported a nearly 30% spike. While 2,096 such cases were registered in 2021, this year the number went up to 2,704.

Mishika Singh, an advocate and founder of Neev Foundation that provides legal support to the needy, said the Covid-19 pandemic and resultant job losses and work pressures could be one of the reasons in the spike in cases of cruelty by husbands. “Most of the investigations in these cases usually ends with the police calling the two parties and making them resolve the problem. However, we have seen that such agreements don’t last long, resulting in the continuation of domestic violence against women,” she said.

A senior police officer who has investigated such cases said that the rise in number of cases also means that more women are coming forward with their complaints of violence against their family members,including husbands and in-laws. She added that with the convenience of registration of FIRs online being provided in Delhi, it has become really easy for people, specially women who might not be able to walk up to the closest police station, to report their problems to the police.

She also added that the initiative of Pink Booths, which are exclusively run by women officers, has also made police more approachable to women.

The data also showed that cases of molestation rose from 1,244 in 2021 to 1,480 this year. Also, more women were kidnapped in the first six months of this year than the same duration last year. While 1,880 women were kidnapped last year till July 15, 2,197 such cases were reported this year.

However, cases registered under insult to the modesty of women (Section 509 of IPC) dropped from 229 last year to 225. Also, abduction of women reported a minor decrease with 105 cases this year compared to 184 last year. According to the data, Delhi reported three fewer dowry deaths this year with 69 cases compared to 72 last year.

Deputy commissioner of police (north-west) Usha Rangnani, known for her women-centric initiative Tejaswini, said, “The confidence of women in police has increased because of more presence of women officials on the roads, police stations and booths. That’s primarily the main reason for more crimes against women being reported to police.”

The Tejaswini initiative was implemented on July 10 with 46 women beat constables being deployed in crime-prone areas of various police stations, including Jahangirpuri, Shakarpur and Pitampura.