JOIN USCrime against SCs, STs rise 8% in Odisha
Crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes rose by over 8 per cent each in Odisha in 2020 in comparison to the previous year, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The rate of total crime against SCs is 28.5 per lakh population, higher than the national rate of 25, while it is 6.5 for STs against a countrywide rate of 7.9, the NCRB said in its latest report.
The country saw a rise of 9.4 per cent in crimes against SCs and 9.3 per cent in atrocities against STs, the ‘Crime in India 2020’ report, which was published on Tuesday, stated.
The number of crimes against STs in Odisha was the fourth highest in the country last year with 624 cases, registering a rise of 8.33 per cent from 2019. In case of the SCs, there were 2,046 incidents of atrocities in Odisha in 2020, a rise of 8.48 per cent from the previous year.
There were 114 cases of rape, the fifth highest in the country under the ST category, which has a population of 95.9 lakh in the state -- as per the 2011 Census.
Odisha registered 30 assaults on tribal women with intent to outrage her modesty. Eight murder and five attempt-to-murder cases were lodged under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act with the Indian Penal Code.
The state recorded 182 victims of rape and 103 assaults on SC women with intent to outrage her modesty. Twenty-eight murders and 40 attempts to murder occurred last year against the SCs, which constituted a population of 71.9 lakh in the state in 2011.
In case of the STs, 115 incidents of criminal intimidation occurred in the state, the highest in the country. There were 585 cases of criminal intimidation against SCs with a rate of 8.1 per lakh population, the second highest in the country.
The report stated that 564 people were arrested for crimes against STs, while police filed charge sheets in 575 cases in the year. As many as 1,556 people were arrested for crimes against SCs and police filed charge sheets in 2,088 cases.
Courts acquitted eight people for atrocities against STs, while there was zero conviction. A total of 5,229 cases are pending trial at the end of the year with a pendency of 99.8 per cent.
Only five people were convicted for atrocities against the SCs with a conviction rate of 3.72, while 170 accused were acquitted. The number of cases pending trial at the end of the year was 14,323 with a pendency percentage of 99.1.
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