New Delhi
The latest report of the National Crime Record Bureau for 2023 has painted a grim picture of crimes perpetuated against tribals, with ethnic strife-hit Manipur being the worst.
As per the NCRB, overall, India recorded 27,721 cases of murder in 2023, which is less by 2.8% from 2022, but a surge in crimes against STs and in cyber offences is a matter of grave concern.
Crimes against Scheduled Tribes (ST) rose by a staggering 28.8 % in 2023 compared to 2022. The total number of registered cases against STs rose from 10,064 in 2022 to 12,960 cases in 2023. On the other hand, crimes registered against Scheduled Castes (SCs) showed only a marginal increase of 0.4%, with the total inching up from 57,582 cases in 2022 to 57,789 in 2023.
The NCRB report stated that the incidents in Manipur included 1,051 cases of arson, 260 cases of dacoity and 193 instances of intimidation or illegal land disposal targeting tribal communities. Overall, the north eastern State reported 14,427 violent crimes in 2023, compared to 631 in 2022 and 545 in 2021
Manipur also recorded the highest number of rioting and arson cases in the Northeast, at 5,421 and 6,203, respectively. It also reported 330 robbery and 1,213 dacoity cases that year.
Madhya Pradesh recorded a slight decrease in crimes against members of tribal communities in 2023. It stood second after Manipur – with a total of 2,858 cases of crimes against Scheduled Tribes (ST) persons registered in the State in 2023, compared to 2,979 in the 2022.
Cybercrimes jumped by 31.2%, with 86,420 cases compared to 65,893 in 2022. The NCRB noted that while the number of murder cases fell from 28,522 in 2022 to 27,721 in 2023, a 2.8% decrease, disputes were identified as the leading motive in the highest number of murder cases, accounting for 9,209 incidents.
Online financial fraud made up for 59,526 incidents, or nearly 69% of the total. Extortion (4,526 cases) and sexual exploitation (4,199 cases) were other crimes on the rise. The highest number of cyber-offences were reported in Telangana (10,303), Karnataka (8,829) and Uttar Pradesh (8,236).
The NCRB data also pointed to the 24% rise in crimes against foreigners, with 238 cases registered nationwide. New Delhi was the most unsafe metropolitan area for foreign nationals, recording 63 of these cases, or over a quarter of the total.
