E-Paper
Cases of crime against women lower in UP than many states: NCRB 2023 report
Uttar Pradesh reports the highest women's crime numbers, yet maintains a low crime rate of 58.6, reflecting improved safety and reporting confidence.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)’s “Crime in India 2023” report, while showing the sheer scale of the challenges faced by Uttar Pradesh, also contained a critical data point suggesting improved safety metrics relative to the state’s massive population.
Despite recording the highest absolute number (66,381) of crimes against women in the country, analysts point out that Uttar Pradesh maintains a relatively low crime rate of around 58.6—the key metric for assessing risk to citizens. The crime rate is calculated as cases per 1,00,000 female population. The UP accounts for around 14.81% of crime against women reported from all across the country in absolute numbers (4,48,211).
According to the NCRB data, this crime rate falls significantly below the national average of 66.2 and is much lower than the rates recorded in several other major states and metropolitan areas, including Delhi (133.6), Telangana (124.9), Rajasthan (114.8), Haryana (110.3). Uttar Pradesh ranks 13th when it comes to crime rate for offences against women among 28 states while at 17th position when compared to all 28 states and eight union territories.
For a state with the largest population in India, this lower rate is seen as an indicator of relative safety, suggesting that the risk faced by an individual woman, per capita, is less concentrated than in other high-rate jurisdictions.
“Managing law and order for a population the size of UP’s is an immense logistical challenge,” noted UP director general of police (DGP), Rajeev Krishna, adding, “ The high case numbers reflect the size of the state, but the lower crime rate suggests chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s zero tolerance approach towards such crimes, police efforts, including increased visibility of police, targeted safety schemes, and dedicated helplines, are having a mitigating effect on the per-capita risk.”
Moreover, the state government has credited this relative improvement to several focused initiatives like Mission Shakti, a comprehensive programme launched to ensure the security, respect, and self-reliance of women, often cited as a tool for public awareness and swift action as well as dedicated helplines for operation and promotion of emergency response systems and women-specific helplines.
The state authorities also suggest that the relatively low crime rate, despite the highest absolute case load, may reflect increasing confidence among women to report crimes, meaning more offences are being registered rather than going unreported. They said the fast-tracking judicial processes for crimes against women and enhancing police visibility and patrolling in vulnerable areas have also been credited for the improvement in the safety of women.
While the high volume of cases remains a pressing concern, the NCRB 2023 data offer a narrative of relative stability and improved per-capita safety, distinguishing UP from other major states struggling with much higher crime rates. This provides a measurable baseline as the state continues its efforts to make communities safer for all its female residents.
State reported nearly 60K cases in 2023
The NCRB report suggested that UP registered approximately 59,445 cases of cognizable crimes against women in 2023, highest among all states. This figure translates to UP accounting for nearly 15% of the total crimes against women recorded nationwide.
The analysis indicates that the bulk of crimes registered in Uttar Pradesh are perpetrated by known individuals, often within the victim’s family or domestic circle. The single largest crime head was “cruelty by husband or his relatives” (domestic violence), which alone comprised approximately 34% of UP’s total crimes against women.
Other significant categories include assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty: This stood as the second-most reported category, accounting for around 20% of total cases. Rape cases constituted approximately 8% of the total crimes in the state. The report also highlighted a rising trend in the digital space, with cybercrimes against women contributing about 9% of the state’s total.
