8High time for Police to change strategies
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Jan 4: The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed over 15% upsurge in the cases of crime in the year 2020 as compared to the year 2019. Moreover, there was one rape every day besides sharp rise in molestation and abetment to suicide cases as such it is the high time for the Jammu and Kashmir Police to change its strategies so as to instill fear among the anti-social elements and to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
As per the official data, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR, during the year 2020, 28936 cases were registered under various heads of crime like murder, attempt to murder, stabbing, robbery, burglary, thefts, abetment to suicide and attempt to suicide as against 25072 cases during the corresponding year 2019 in the Union Territory thereby showing an increasing trend in the year 2020.
At the beginning of 2020, there was previous balance of 14298 pending cases of crime across the Union Territory and during the year 2020, 28936 new cases were registered as such the total cases increased to 43279.
During the year, a total of 21586 under investigation cases were disposed off by the police and out of these charge-sheets were filed in respect of 17676 cases. Further, 2053 cases were closed as untraced, 1848 cases as not admitted and 9 cases were quashed/cancelled.
With over 15% increase in the cases, the crime rate for the year 2020 remained at 216.90 for per lakh population as compared to the year 2019 which was 189.41. The maximum cases registered during the year 2020 pertained to thefts, burglary, molestation, kidnapping, rape, attempt to murder and assault.
According to the data, 8378 cases were disposed off by the courts and 4177 cases ended in conviction, 2734 cases in acquittal/discharged, 1323 cases were compounded/withdrawn and 144 cases were abated as such the percentage of conviction was 60.44.
As far as crime against women is concerned, there was rise of 10% as a total of 3515 cases were registered in 2020 as against 3193 during the year 2019. In 2019, 297 rape cases were registered but in the year 2020 the number increased to 365, which means one rape every day in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Similarly, as against 1452 molestation cases registered in the year 2019, the number increased to 1754 in 2020 while as abetment/attempt to suicide (victim is women) cases increased from 123 to 172 across the Union Territory. However, the number of cruelty by husband/his relatives against women remained 349 in 2019 and 2020 respectively. The kidnapping of women/girls cases decreased from 903 in 2019 to 811 in 2020 and that of eve teasing from 61 in 2019 to 53 in 2020. As per the data, no case under Immoral Trafficking Act was registered in 2019 and 2020.
In Jammu region, the maximum cases of crime against women were reported from Jammu district (316) followed by Rajouri (182), Poonch (122) and Udhampur (113). The lowest number of cases were reported from Kishtwar (36), Reasi (51) and Ramban (64).
As far as Kashmir province is concerned, maximum cases were reported from Budgam (340) followed by Baramulla (315), Srinagar (308) and Anantnag (268). Pulwama and Awantipora were the only areas where less number of cases of crime against women were reported in 2020 as compared to other districts.
In Jammu region, the maximum rape cases were reported from Rajouri (30), Jammu (29) and Udhampur (19) while as in Kashmir valley, Budgam, Ganderbal and Kulgam witnessed maximum cases at 34, 28 and 23 respectively. There was hardly any district in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir where there was no case of such a heinous crime.
“Keeping in view the prevailing crime scenario in the Union Territory, the Jammu and Kashmir Police is required to change its strategies so as to instill fear among the anti-social elements and to prevent the situation from deteriorating further”, experts said, adding “further the disposal of crime cases by the courts is required to be given impetus as the appropriate punishment will have deterrence”.
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