In 2016 too, Uttar Pradesh had the highest crime figures in the country. (Representational)
After decades, the figures on crimes against women in Delhi have shown a decline, indicates data from National Crime Records Bureau. The crime data for 2017, released today, also indicated that Uttar Pradesh topped the crime list in the country, followed by Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Delhi.
More than 10 per cent of the police cases filed in the country came from Uttar Pradesh, the report said. In 2017, as many as 3,10,084 cases were registered in Uttar Pradesh -- a jump from 2,82,171 cases in the previous year.
In 2016 too, Uttar Pradesh had the highest crime figures in the country, accounting for 9.5% of crimes reported in the country. Delhi reported the highest crime rate (974.9) for 2016, data showed.
This year, the country's largest state also had the highest figure for crimes against women. In 2017 as many as 56,011 cases were registered, the NCRB said. The corresponding figure in 2016 was 49,262.
In contrast, Delhi, in a first, showed a dip in crimes against women. From 15,310 cases in 2016, the number of cases filed in 2017 dropped to 13,076.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said the situation was "shameful" and the Chief Minister "must do something about it".
In a tweet later, the Congress leader said: "The highest number of crimes against women in the country is taking place in UP. More than 56,000 a year and this does not include incidents that are not reported (to police). Is this data not serious enough for the chief minister to take cognisance."
The state's ruling BJP hit back instantly. In a statement, state minister and government spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh, accused the opposition of "manipulating" the NCRB data. To understand the NCRB statistics, the ratio should be calculated based on the population, he said, adding that states with higher population also have higher occurrence and registration of crime.
"The opposition especially Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Akhilesh Yadav are trying to derive political mileage without proper study of it," he added.