Haryana cops lead in crime cases lodged against them: NCRB report

As per the National Crime Records Bureau, 488 criminal cases were registered against policemen in Haryana in 2016.

The Haryana Police have got the maximum number of criminal cases registered against them as compared to their counterparts in other states and union territories, as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report of 2016

Action taken against erring cops is not commensurate with the high number of cases registered against them. Only 41 cops were arrested in 488 cases.(HT Photo)

As many as 488 criminal cases were registered against policemen in Haryana in 2016. Maharashtra comes second with 487, while Uttar Pradesh is a distant third with 315 criminal cases registered against cops.

But the action taken against the erring cops is not commensurate with the high number of cases registered against them. Only 41 cops were arrested in 488 cases. The charge-sheets were filed in only 18 (3.6%) cases, while trial was completed in none.

Haryana also recorded the maximum number of deaths and injuries of civilians in 2016 due to the state police resorting to firing and lathi-charge. The records show that the police opened fire on as many as 22 occasions last year, killing 22 persons and injuring 107. No policeman was killed in these events.

The civilian casualty may have been higher in Haryana in 2016 due to the violent Jat agitation that rocked the state. Around 20 rioters were killed in firing by armed forces—both police and paramilitary.

The data further shows that 56 accused managed to escape from police custody last year. Of them, 15 escaped from lockup while the rest 41 escaped from other places, such as hospitals and courts complex. The police managed to re-arrest 43 of them.

Haryana also recorded three deaths in police custody, out of which one was in lockup while the other two were during police remand.

Crime against Dalits in Haryana also shot up by 35% in the last two years, from 475 incidents in 2014 to 639 in 2016. The state has a population of 51 lakh Dalits, and is ranked at No 14 among 36 states and union territories in terms of crime against them.