Jammu and Kashmir recorded a 15% increase in cognizable crimes in 2020 compared to 2019, the latest report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) revealed.
The report said that Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh registered 29,314 (including 403 cases in Ladakh) crime cases under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or under the Special and Local Laws (SLL) in the year 2020.
This was a 15% increase from 2019 when 25,408 crime incidents were registered, which was 6% less than 2018 when 27,276 cases were registered. The report has maintained a separate section for Ladakh from the year 2020 only.
Jammu and Kashmir have been under restrictions of one kind or another beginning in 2019 when its special status under article 370 was abrogated and the region was split into two Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. In 2020 and 2021, restrictions were placed owing to the Covid pandemic outbreak.
The report said that crimes against women witnessed around an 11% increase from 3,069 cases in 2019 to 3,414 (including nine in Ladakh) in 2020. The year 2019 had witnessed a fall of 10% in crimes against women in comparison to 2018 when 3,437 such cases were registered.
The statistics show that in 2020 there were nine cases of dowry deaths, 243 rape cases, 349 cases of cruelty against women by their husbands or relatives, 1,639 cases of assault on women, and 1,744 cases of assault on women with the intention to outrage their modesty.
The report also showed that in 2020, Jammu and Kashmir registered 31 stalking cases, 15 incidents of sexual harassment with three cases of sexual harassment at work.
Murder cases rose by 25% with 149 cases registered in 2020 as against 119 in 2019. The year 2018 saw a registry of 181 murder cases. As per the data, there were 487 cases of attempt to murder, 35 abetment of suicide, and 24 cases of abetment of suicide of women in 2020.
The crimes against children also witnessed an increase of around 29% with 606 incidents in 2020 in comparison to 470 and 473 cases each in 2019 and 2018 respectively.
There were also 472 cases of attempted suicide in 2020. The kidnapping and abductions cases have been witnessing a decline for the past three years in the Union Territory. From 1,137 cases in 2018, kidnapping and abductions fell to 961 in 2019 and further dipped to 868 in 2020.
The region also recorded 10 crimes related to offenses against the state besides two cases of sedition in 2020.
