New Delhi: The recently released National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report on crimes in 2020 brought the Uttar Pradesh government under the scanner as it said the state recorded the most number of murder cases (3,779) in India. The statistics also showed that the highest number of kidnapping cases in 2020 — 12,913 — were also registered in Uttar Pradesh. 

IPS officer Laxmi Singh, who is currently serving as Inspector General (IG) Lucknow Range, however, believes the number of cases should be seen in context of the fact that Uttar Pradesh is the country’s most populous state — approximately 24.1 crore people live in UP, according to UID data for 2021.

“UP has the best crime situation in India. Crime under all heads is lowest in UP, compared to any state. Population and area have to be kept in mind while analysing the data,” she told ABP Live on Friday.

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Earlier, in an opinion piece published in Hindustan Times Friday, Singh wrote: “Bihar has a population of 12.4 crore, Maharashtra 12.47 crore, Madhya Pradesh 8.68 crore, and West Bengal 10 crore. It’s prudent to analyse data keeping this background in view. Some of the analysts have been quick to jump to conclusions they have outlined that the highest number of murder murders have occurred in UP during 2020.” 

Quoting the NCRB figures for murder cases in UP (3,779), Bihar (3,150), Maharashtra (2,163), Madhya Pradesh (2,101), and West Bengal (1,948), the IPS officer said while UP with its over 24 crore population tops the list, the states with half the population “are not very far behind”.

“For every 1 lakh of people 2.5 murders have occurred in Bihar, 2.42 in Madhya Pradesh, 1.94 in West Bengal, 1.73 Maharashtra, and only 1.56 in UP,” she wrote in her op-ed piece titled ‘NCRB Data: Another Perspective’. 

According to the NCRB data, she said, the crime pattern of murders is very individualistic, with the majority of homicides happening either because of personal vendetta related to illicit affairs or property issues.

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Crime Against Women & Minorities

The Lucknow IGP  also stressed that there was a sharp increase in crime against women in West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Odisha during 2020 in comparison to 2019.

A total of 28,046 rape cases were registered last year. The highest number of these cases were registered in Rajasthan, followed by Uttar Pradesh. 

Specifying the rate of such crimes in different states, she wrote that “UP under the Yogi Adityanath government has a rate of 45.1, well below the national average”.

According to the NCRB data, under the category of “assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty or simply assault on women”, the highest number of cases has been reported in Odisha. 

“UP has reported 3,836 cases with the rate of only 3.5, well below the national average,” she contended.

She claimed that UP has shown the sharpest decline in crime against women “with an enormous 35 per cent fall under all heads”.

In terms of maximum registered cases for atrocities on Scheduled Caste persons, the top three states are Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Delhi.

According to Laxmi Singh, UP has ensured safety for these vulnerable sections of society. She also claimed that the state has not seen a single communal riot in 2020.

The rate of total cognisable crimes in 2020 per lakh of the population is the highest for Tamil Nadu, followed by Kerala, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, she pointed out, adding that UP has a rate of 287.4 cases per lakh population against the national average of 478.4 cases per lakh.

“NCRB data is a reflection on the zero tolerance policies adopted by the Yogi government against crime, criminals and mafia,” she opined.