New Delhi:
Recording a ten-fold jump, rape cases since 1971 have left behind other heinous crimes like murders and kidnappings, indicating decay in moral fabric in the country.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there were 2,487 incidents of rape in 1971 while in 2012, the figure was 24,923 - showing a ten-time increase.
Altogether 9,802 incidents of murder were recorded across the country in 1953 while in 2012, there were 34,434 incidents of murder - an increase of 251 per cent.
There were 5,261 incidents of kidnapping and abduction in 1953, while in 2012, a total of 47,592 such incidents were reported in the country - a jump of 804 per cent.
There was a rise of 263 per cent in cases of riots. While there were 20,529 cases of riots in 1953, number of communal disturbances has gone up to 74,633 in 2012, the NCRB report says.
Altogether, 8,407 cases of robbery were reported in the country in 1953, while in 2012, altogether 27,343 such incidents were reported - an increase of 225 per cent.
However, there has been a fall in the incidents of dacoity and burglary since Independence. There were 5,579 incidents of dacoity in 1953 which has come down to 4,314 in 2012 - a decrease of 22.7 per cent. Similarly, there were 1,47,379 cases of burglary in 1953 and it has come down to 92,892 in 2012 - a fall of 37 per cent.
There was an increase of 296.6 per cent in cognisable crimes under IPC. A total of 6,01,964 such cases were recorded in 1953 and the number has gone up to 23,87,188 in 2012. According to the NCRB report, the rate of conviction in crimes committed under IPC has dropped miserably - from 62.7 per cent in 1972 to 38.5 per cent in 2012.
In serious crimes such as murder, rape and robbery, conviction rates are far lower than the national average for all IPC crimes (38.5 per cent).
While for murder conviction rate stands at 35.6 per cent, for rape it is 24.2 per cent even as only 28.6 per cent of robbery cases end in conviction.
In Maharashtra, West Bengal and Odisha, conviction rates stand at around 10 per cent.
In violent crimes such as murder and rape, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra have the worst record.
In all these states, conviction rate for murder hovers in the range of 19-27 per cent, while for rape it is between 7.5 per cent and 21.3 per cent.