Nagaland sees increase in violent acts

With Nagaland witnessing a 60 percent increase in incidence of crime during the past one decade, violent acts of transgression have further amplified in Nagaland. Arguably unheard of in the Naga society of old, murder and kidnapping are frequently make the headlines these days, forcing one to ruminate on the effectiveness of law and its application as deterrent, and more so the shared public reaction.  

Murder
While robbery topped the crime chart, there has been no let up in the incidence of murder and kidnapping. Murder cases in particular has increased over the past decade. At 616 reported cases during the period, murder took second spot in the crime table. This figure is minuscule compared to Uttar Pradesh, which reported 4966 murders in 2012 alone, according to NCRB. Yet the incidence rate of murder in Nagaland at 80 percent surpasses the overall crime rate of 62 percent witnessed during the same period.

After peaking at 103 in 2008, murder cases declined in the subsequent three years with 2011 recording the lowest number of murder cases at 44. The number however almost doubled in 2012 with the year recording 79 murder cases, and rising to 81 in 2013

Dimapur recorded the highest number of reported murder cases in each of the year beginning 2005, when 18 cases were recorded. The district reported 37 murder cases in 2013, the highest since 2008 when 40 such cases were reported. The following year, 15 murders were reported, the least during the period. Longleng reported 7 murder cases during the period with 2010, ’11 and ’13 showing nil record.  

Kidnapping
Cases of abduction for ransom have also shown an increasing trend in the state. From 13 reported cases in 2005, the figure jumped in 52 in 2013. Dimapur again tops the list with 181 kidnappings recorded since 2005 till the early part of 2014. Occurrence of kidnapping is believed to be more than the figure entered in the crime chart, as many cases go unreported. There have been instances, in Dimapur particularly, when cases were not reported to the police by families apprehensive of abductors scaling up ransom or harming the hostage.

Abductions peaked in the district in 2010 when 42 cases were reported. Only one such incident was recorded in 2005. After the peak in 2010, it fell to 23 in 2011 and touching as low as 16, the following year. In 2013, however, the figure rose with the district recording 27 kidnappings during the year. In contrast, Kiphire reported one such incident during the same period in 2013.

Robbery, Dacoity and Burglary
Robbery, burglary and dacoity (banditry) declined during the ten year period. A total of 647 robbery cases were reported, while 597 burglaries and 50 dacoity cases were reported in the same period. The difference between robbery and dacoity is that the former involves one to four persons, while the latter involves five or more persons. However, they are both acts of thievery, involving violence.  According to the statistics, not a single case of robbery and dacoity was reported in Kiphire district during the period. 
(Part II of a series)