A new edition of ‘Crime in India’, the annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), was released on August 29, for crime-related statistics in 2021. NCRB reports have a compilation of statistics over the years on offences ranging from crimes against women to economic and financial crimes.

The report revealed that atrocities or crimes against Scheduled Castes (SCs) have increased by 1.2 per cent in 2021 with Uttar Pradesh reporting the highest number of cases of atrocities against SCs accounting for 25.82 per cent followed by Rajasthan with 14.7 per cent and Madhya Pradesh with 14.1 per cent during 2021. Further, the report reveals that atrocities against Scheduled Tribes (ST) have increased by 6.4 per cent in 2021 with Madhya Pradesh reporting the highest number of cases accounting for 29.8 per cent followed by Rajasthan with 24 per cent and Odisha with 7.6 per cent in 2021.

Violence against dalit and adivasi women has also risen. Cases of Rape against SC women, (including minors) account for 7.64 per cent and ST women account for 15 per cent out of the total cases reported. The report has also tabled detailed numbers for cases of rape against dalit women, cases of minor rape, attempt to rape, assault on women to outrage her modesty, and kidnapping of women and minors which cumulatively stood at 16.8 per cent in SC women and 26.8 per cent in ST women.

The report showed that a total of 70,818 cases of atrocities against SCs were pending investigation at the end of the year 2021, including the previous year's cases. Similarly, 12,159 cases of atrocities against STs were pending investigation and a total of 2,63,512 cases of atrocities against SCs and 42,512 cases of atrocities against STs came for trial in court. Conviction percentage under the SCs and STs (PoA) Act in conjunction with the Indian Penal Code (IPC) remained at 36.0 per cent for SCs and 28.1 per cent for STs. At the end of the year, 96.0 per cent of cases of atrocities against SCs were pending trial whereas, for STs, the percentage stood at 95.4 per cent.