Rape has become India’s fastest growing crime with an exponential increase of 873 per cent in the last five decades. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, cases of crime have risen across all states in the country, including Delhi, Rajasthan, Haray-ana, Maharashtra, Karnat-aka, West Bengal and MP.
While the NCRB is still in the process of compiling its list of crimes for 2012, sources within the bureau admit that rape has seen a major upswing this year. In 2011, Mizoram headed the list of rape cases with a rape index — the number of rapes per lakh of women — at 9.1 but this year the number of cases recorded by Haryana have been unprecedented. The patriarchal state has recorded over 50 rape cases in the last two months.
In 2011, the number of rape cases recorded by NCRB were close to 25,000.. From these, 9,398 cases of rape involved children.
Women activists blame the rise in rapes primarily to the low conviction levels and the fact that the perpetrators of the crime are generally known to the victim. They are also critical of the brazenness with which people in authority are now perpetuating this crime. They cite the example of students in Banasthali Vidyapeeth in Rajasthan’s Tonk district where a hostel warden and ambulance driver have been accused of rape and molestation.
MP witnessed 3,406 cases followed by West Bengal in 2,363 cases while UP had 2,042 cases in 2011. Amongst the UTs, Delhi has the highest number of rape cases at 568 in 2011.
Amongst the Union Territories, Delhi has the highest number of rape cases at 568 in 2011. The number of molestation cases in Delhi has also increased at 653 cases as against 601 in 2010.
NCRB sources point out that in 2011, the number of alleged perpetrators either in custody or out on bail is now touching 1,00,000 as against 4,991 in 1973.