India is one of the major countries in the world. It has achieved much prestige for its economic development and cultural diversity. It also often receives praise for encouraging non-violence and world peace at the UN.
- The nation retains the world’s largest constitution, which states India is a sovereign, secular, and democratic country. It also assures its citizens of justice, equality, and liberty.
- However, how much the citizens of India enjoy the fundamental human rights provided to them by the 73-year-old constitution remains debatable.
NCRB reports highlight the state of crime in India
The reports on ‘Crime in India 2021’ by National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) show India reports 82 murders on average every day. There were 29,272 murder cases reported in 2021, involving 30,132 victims. This data shows a rise of 0.3% from 2020.
The cause of most of these crimes are disputes with 9,765 cases, personal vendetta with 3,782, and followed by gain with 1,692.
These murder cases are filed under Section 302 of the Indian penal code. This IPC section ensures that criminals convicted of murder shall be punished with the penalty of death or life imprisonment.
- However, the data of NCRB also show a vast difference between the charge sheeting rate and conviction rate after a trial. In 2021, 26,382 cases of murder were charged, while only 4,304 were convicted.
Report of other offenses
Apart from murders, offenses against the human body, including abuse, kidnapping & abduction, and death by negligence, show a 5.1% rise in states and union territories with an 18.1% increase in metropolitan cities.
- The crime against women, including cruelty from husband or relative, assault & molestation, kidnapping & abduction, and rape, saw an increase of 15.3%, with a 22.9% increase in metropolitan cities.
- Meanwhile, people avoid registering crimes against women of shame. Experts also believe that the families often report false missing complaints of women who elope for love or due to abuse.
- Hate crimes based on religion and class have increased by 300% since 2014, as per the 2019 research of Deepankar Basu, an economics professor and student of South Asian politics at the University of Massachusetts.
- The reporting of these crimes is wildly low as NRCB is no longer collecting data on hate crimes since 2017, as per the reports of the Washington Post.
Due to these recent statistics, India appears to progress in a regression. However, to get a clear picture of safety and crime in India (2023), I interviewed my friends residing in India, who are in their 20s.
Public Opinion about Crime in India 2023
The majority of the interviewees consume the news from the websites of prominent news agencies (national and international) and social networking sites. They stated that most of the daily news headlines report various offenses, including financial crimes, rape, and murder.
The news also majorly covers the political narratives of leading parties in the country, but the interviewees expressed doubts about their reliability regarding biases.
“I try to avoid political news. I feel there’s no real value anymore as they are mostly about the parties trying to one-up the other and the usual ‘Hindu Vs Muslim’ radicals,” a student from Kerala said.
- The student also highlighted that the media portrays news in either black or white. “Over here, we’re all co-existing and doing our best to help each other as a community,” she said.
When asked if they believe the crime has increased or decreased over the past few years, all the interviewees admitted feeling the crime has risen.
“I think crime in India has especially risen in 2023. There used to be lots of reports before, but this year it feels like there’s an exceptional amount of them. The statistics might state otherwise, but personally, things have seemingly gotten worse,” the student said.
Meanwhile, Evanshi Mavani, a brand and copywriter, shared that she doesn’t feel that crime has generally risen. “Rather everything and anything has started being covered by the news outlets,” she said.
- She shared that the last case she followed was about a brother who brutally murdered his sister (a minor) by mistaking her menstruation blood as a sign of engaging in intercourse.
- “[Such cases] highlight the misogyny and illiteracy that haunts India,” she said.
Discussion about recent crimes reported in the news
One of the recent cases discussed in the media is about a 16-year-old girl who died from a stabbing in a busy public area in the nation’s capital on May 28, 2023. CCTV footage of the crime went viral on Twitter, raising the discussion of public safety, especially for women.
- Right-wing supporters also discussed the incident as an alleged terrorist attack. They also allege that officials didn’t disclose this side of the incident due to secularism.
- Following the arrest of the culprit on Monday, Delhi’s Special Commissioner of Police Deependra Pathak shared the initial investigation hints towards a crime of passion to Times Now.
Public’s opinion
The student from Kerala shared that the media reported the culprit didn’t show any remorse for the crime. “In the picture released to the press, the man could barely contain a smile. I think it’s one of the most disturbing things I’ve read in the past few weeks.”
- She also confessed feeling drained from the reports. “Just five minutes ago, I read about another man in Delhi who died from a stabbing in public. Earlier today, I also read about a man who decapitated his girlfriend and hid her in a cooker. It’s mentally draining to read the news every day, to say the least. You’d think that eventually, one would get desensitized to it, but that never happens. You just learn not to think about it.”
Risti Ghosh, a resident of Delhi who’s preparing for the UPSC examination, shared feeling appalled by the apathy of bystanders. “India, as a society, is deteriorating so fast that somebody can simply stab people in broad daylight, and the pedestrians will simply move on. There’s a normalization of crime.”
- She further shared how she has witnessed multiple ads asking for the identification of dead bodies in Delhi every other day and her belief that the public’s apathy plays a role in encouraging criminals. “They’re certain they can just do things and get away with it.”
- Ghosh also stated an instance where a woman in her hometown suffered molestation in public. The witnesses didn’t intervene, and the victim didn’t press charges.
- “This I’ve seen mostly in rape and murder cases. Robbery and thievery, not so much. The public is very active in running after people the moment you scream ‘chor’ (thief),” she said.
Crime against women in India 2023
One of the sources studying law shared that the daily reports of crime against women raise questions about why the Government isn’t protecting women despite the evidence. “Women are dying. Being killed. And yet people sympathize and excuse the attackers. It is a miscarriage of justice.”
When prompted about her opinion regarding the strength and implementation of laws, the source shared that there are strong and protective laws, but enforcing them is a long process, and the criteria are also pretty high.
“The Chief Justice of India ensures that justice prevails, but there is also leniency in punishing the suspects, which serve no purpose to the society,” the source said.
The instances of crime in states and metropolitan cities
According to the statistics, crime is rising in both states and metropolitan cities of the nation despite the intricate differences in the experiences in the rural and urban atmosphere.
The student from a small town in Kerala who has also previously lived in metropolitan cities shared the differences she experienced in the two societies.
- “[There are] immense differences. I’ve found that tight-knit societies are generally safer than urban cities because in trouble, help is a shout away,” she said, adding that cities are safer to travel at late hours, although it is isolating.
Evanshi Mavani, a resident of Mumbai, one of the major metropolitan cities, shared a similar opinion with the former interviewee.
- “I do feel [urban/metropolitan cities] are safer, but again, it’s all comparative,” she said.
When asked about their opinions on the major factors responsible for the crimes in India, the interviewees highlighted various points that they believe require changes.
- Mavani shared that the economic divide and lack of policies that can provide citizens with basic survival necessities add to the crime rate.
- Sahal Vohra, a graphic designer shares that the dark figures of crime rise with a greater population. He also believes there’s neglect in reporting financial and other minor offenses due to corruption which encourages criminals.
- Risti Ghosh stated the role of police officials in the crime rate. “The police has given itself an unapproachable image which discourages victims from reporting. This also affects the criminals who get confident to get away with offenses.”
- Furthermore, all the interviewees shared that determining the factors that affect crime is tough and complicated. “I wish I could blame the police officials or a political leader, but it isn’t as simple as that,” the student from Kerala said.
Conclusion
To answer the question: Is India failing to keep its citizens safe? We looked at recent crime reports in India and asked citizens for their opinion.
- While the percentage of crime has a general rise and the citizens are suffering from the consequences of it, the officials are doing their best to establish law and justice.
- Despite it, the evils in society require immediate attention to stop the downward spiral that can damage Indian society.
What’s your opinion about crime in India in 2023? Share with us in the comments below. For more content, stay with us here at Spiel Times. Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications and never miss an update. You can also follow us on Spiel Anime, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Until next time!