SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, April 20: While Jharkhand has witnessed a sharp rise in incidents of rape in 2021 with 1608 cases as compared to 1373 in 2020, Ranchi noted a decrease in the number of cases with 200 cases from March 2021-Feb 2022 as compared to 223 cases between March 2020-Feb 2021, according to the data released on the Jharkhand Police Crime Database.
The data revealed, there was a 10 percent decline in rape cases last year as compared to 2020. On an average, 18 cases were registered every month between March 2020-Feb 2021 against 16 cases per month between March 2021-Feb 2022. However, in the case of the state, figures show that there was a steep 17 percent increase in cases last year, as compared to 2020.
In an overall estimate of crime against women in the state, there were 7083 cases in 2018, 8760 cases in 2019 and 7630 cases in 2020, as per NCRB data.
Speaking on the issue, police, lawyers and researchers have stressed that proactive reporting by victims are the main reasons for the numbers of cases registered either rising or decreasing.
Officials at Mahila Police Station, Upper Bazaar have claimed, “Earlier, many of the cases were concealed by the victims, however, now they are rising above the stigma and filing complaints. In certain cases, there may be a possibility of a false report being filed for personal reasons; however, this is not the case with a large number of cases filed.”
Another worker with NREGA Watch in Jharkhand said, “Even though women in rural areas file cases, we have observed during our field visits that it is usually an uphill task for her going forward.”
Advocate Arpan said, “Despite the seriousness of the crime, a victim still faces difficulties while registering an FIR at some police stations. In such cases, complaint petitions should be filed in court.”
