Moa Jamir
Dimapur | October 2
Despite a marginal increase in the number of cases, the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) confirmed that Nagaland continues to officially be the ‘safest’ State for women in India.
As per ‘Crime in India 2023,’ the NCRB’s annual statistical compilation on crime and related issues released on September 29, cases of cognisable 'Crime against Women' were registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL) in Nagaland rose from 49 in 2022 to 56 in 2023, involving 57 victims.
This represented a 12.5% rise over 2022 and the highest number of cases in last four years. In 2020, the number stood at 39, which rose to 54 in 2021 before dropping to 49 in 2022.
Accordingly, with a mid-year female population of 10.8 lakh in 2023, the ‘Rate of Total Crime against Women’ in Nagaland stood at 5.2 per lakh, the lowest in the country, making it the ‘safest’ State for women among all States and Union Territories (UTs).
Nagaland’s rate was far lower than the next best, Gujarat, at 22.9, and well below the national average of 66.2.
In absolute terms, however, the UTs of Ladakh and Lakshadweep reported fewer cases than Nagaland at 20 and 23, respectively.
Meanwhile, Nagaland’s ‘Chargesheeting Rate’ for crimes against women declined from 92.2% in 2022 to 76.5% in 2023, below the national average which improved from 75.8% in 2022 to 77.6% in 2023.
Most cases linked to sexual violence
While Nagaland continues to register comparatively lower rates of crimes against women than many other states, the latest NCRB figures raise concern over the nature of offences being reported.
About 76.8% (43) of all 56 cases crime against women registered in the State were related to sexual offences, underscoring serious vulnerabilities faced by women and children in the state.
According to the data, 15 cases were registered under the ‘Protection of Children from Sexual Offences’ (POCSO) Act; 14 under ‘Assault on Women with Intent to Outrage her Modesty’ (Sec. 354 IPC); 10 under ‘Rape’ (Sec. 376 IPC); 3 under ‘Attempt to Commit Rape’ (Sec. 376/511 IPC); and 1 under ‘Insult to the Modesty of Women’ (Sec. 509 IPC).
There were also 7 cases of ‘Kidnapping and Abduction of Women’ and 2 cases each under ‘Cruelty by Husband or his Relatives’ (Sec. 498A IPC) and the ‘Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.’
Of the 10 rape cases, 8 offenders were known to the victims, while 2 remained ‘unknown or not identified.’ Among the victims, 7 were aged 18 and above, and 3 were below 18.
Similarly, of the 14 victims of ‘Assault on Women with Intent to Outrage her Modesty,’ 12 were below 18 years and 2 above.
The 15 POCSO cases included 6 instances of ‘child rape’ and 9 categorised as ‘sexual assault of children.’
Notably, Nagaland recorded no cases of ‘Murder with Rape/Gang Rape,’ ‘Dowry Deaths,’ ‘Abetment to Suicide of Women,’ ‘Miscarriage,’ ‘Acid Attack,’ or ‘Attempt to Acid Attack.’
National status
Nationally, a total of 4,48,211 cases of crime against women were registered in 2023, reflecting a 0.7% increase from 2022 (4,45,256 cases).
Among States, Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number at 66,381, followed by Maharashtra (47,101), Rajasthan (45,450), West Bengal (34,691) and Madhya Pradesh (32,342). Telangana recorded the highest crime rate at 124.9 per lakh female population, ahead of Rajasthan (114.8), Odisha (112.4), Haryana (110.3) and Kerala (86.1).
The majority cases of crime against women were registered under IPC with headed by ‘Cruelty by Husband or Relatives’ (1,33,676 cases, 29.8%), followed by ‘Kidnapping and Abduction of Women’ (88,605 cases, 19.8%), ‘Assault on Women with Intent to Outrage her Modesty’ (83,891 cases, 18.71%), and cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) (66,232 cases, 14.8%).
The NCRB report, prepared under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, is compiled annually based on information provided by State/UT Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) / Central Police Organisations (CPOs).
