Yet again, Madhya Pradesh has reported highest incidents of rapes and minor rapes (rape of children) in the country, continuing with the ignominy that has been associated with the state for several years now.
According to figures for 2017, released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), as many as 5,562 incidents of rape were reported in Madhya Pradesh during the year, which makes it over 15 rapes per day. More shockingly, 3,066 of these rapes (55.1 per cent) are of children (persons below 18 years of age)—also highest in the country.
Activists also point out that there is an additional figure of 964 minor rapes registered separately under head of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in the NCRB report. If this is added to the figure of minor rapes registered under Section 376 of IPC (3066), the minor rape figure would rise to a shocking 4,030—over 72 per cent of the total rapes in state.
“For the 2016 report, NCRB had clubbed the figures of minor rapes registered under Section 376 of IPC and Section 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act. This year, they have been mentioned separately, creating some confusion, but an in-depth look into the figures across country suggests that the POCSO figures should be added to the IPC figures to get the total number,” activist Sachin Jain said.
Jain's organisation Vikas Samvad has been analysing NCRB figures for past several years now.
Considerable rise
Irrespective of the confusion, the numbers of both rapes and minor rapes have shown considerable increase in Madhya Pradesh compared to previous year. In 2016, a total of 4,882 rape cases were registered, of which 2,467 were minor rapes. This means that while rapes went up by almost 14 per cent in the state within a year, rape of children went up by over 24 per cent, even if the figure of 3,066 is considered.
This is a huge matter of concern, Jain said, adding that this suggests only legal protection cannot resolve the issue, but a far stronger social protection system is needed, which is almost totally lacking. Also this suggests the impact of increasing violent attitude of society precipitated by communication channels including social media and huge influx of pornographic material within easy reach of the society.
“Another factor is that most of the rapes and minor rapes, as figures in the NCRB report show, are perpetrated by people close to the survivors. But the society is in denial mode and does not want to address this issue directly,” he said.
'Will do all that is necessary'
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bala Bachchan, while speaking exclusively to THE WEEK, said that after Congress government came to power about 10 months ago, a lot of emphasis has been put on effective policing. “This has resulted in 14 per cent drop in overall crime rate in the first few months of the government. We are specially monitoring policing vis a vis all heinous crime including rapes and we are certain of bringing the numbers down although we would like to totally eradicate them,” Bachchan said.
He added that special focus would be on community policing and creating awareness in society to ensure better protection of children. “We will take all necessary steps to curb the trend,” the home minister said.
Congress targets Shivraj
Meanwhile, the Congress has targeted ex-CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the latest NCRB figures. Pointing out that the figures pertained to the regime of Chouhan as CM, Congress spokesman Narendra Saluja tweeted, 'The NCRB report has punched holes in the big claims of children's safety made by Shivraj who called himself Mama (maternal uncle) of children.”
