India recorded 1.2 lakh cases of “deaths due to negligence relating to road accidents” in 2020, with 328 persons losing their lives every day on an average, despite the COVID-19 lockdown, according to government data.

As many as 3.92 lakh lives have been lost in three years in deaths due to negligence related to road accidents, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) revealed in its annual ‘Crime India’ report for 2020. While 1.2 lakh deaths were recorded in 2020, the figures stood at 1.36 lakh in 2019 and 1.35 lakh in 2018, the data show.

The country logged 1.35 lakh cases of “hit and run” since 2018, the report of the NCRB, which functions under the Union Home Ministry, showed. In 2020 alone, there were 41,196 cases of “hit and run”, while there were 47,504 such cases in 2019 and 47,028 in 2018, the report said. On an average, there were 112 cases of “hit and run” reported across the country every day in the past year, according to the data. The cases of causing “hurt” by rash or negligent driving on public way stood at 1.30 lakh in 2020.

Rail accidents

Meanwhile, 52 cases of deaths due to negligence related to rail accidents were recorded across the country in 2020; 55 such cases in 2019 and 35 in 2018, the report showed.

During 2020, India also logged 133 cases of “deaths due to medical negligence;” 201 such cases in 2019 and 218 in 2018, the NCRB said. There were 51 cases of “deaths due to negligence of civic bodies” in 2020, while there were 147 cases in 2019 and 40 in 2018, according to the report.

Another 6,367 cases of “deaths due to other negligence” were reported across the country in 2020; 7,912 cases in 2019 and 8,687 in 2018, it showed.

The NCRB stated in the report that the country remained under complete lockdown from March 25, 2020 till May 31, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the movement in public space was “very limited”. “The cases registered under crimes against women, children and senior citizens, theft, burglary, robbery and dacoity have therefore declined, whereas COVID-related enforcement has resulted in increase of cases registered under ‘disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant [Section 188 IPC]’, under ‘Other IPC Crimes’ and under ‘Other State Local Acts’,” it noted.