New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh registered the maximum number of cases of atrocities against the Scheduled Castes (SC) community last year, said Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Giving statistics, Mishra said that 13,146 incidents of crime against SC community and Dalits were registered in Uttar Pradesh in 2021. Similarly, 7,524 incidents of violence were registered in Rajasthan, and 7,214 were registered in Madhya Pradesh. Bihar, Maharashtra, and Odisha witnessed 5,842, 2503, and 2327 cases respectively against the community.
A total of 50900 incidents of crime and atrocities were registered across the country. Such incidents of atrocities also registered an increasing trend last year in comparison to 2020 when a total of 50291 cases were registered across India.
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Ironically, only 3640 people were convicted across India last year for committing crimes against people belonging to the SC community whereas 10120 cases completed trials for crime against Schedules Castes community during the same period. Uttar Pradesh registered the maximum conviction number of 1930 followed by Madhya Pradesh 720 and Rajasthan 583.
"As the police and public order are State subjects, the responsibility to maintain law and order, protection of life and property of the citizen rests with the State government," Mishra said.
Being aware of such incidents committed against people of SC and Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, the Union Home Ministry through the latest communication with the States and UTs asked the concerned authorities to play a more proactive role in the detection and investigation of crimes against SC and ST and ensure that there is no under-reporting.
"Atrocity-prone areas may be identified for taking preventive measures to save life and property of the members of SC and ST communities. Adequate number of police personnel, fully equipped with policing infrastructure, should be posted in the police stations in such vulnerable areas," the MHA said.
