LUDHIANA: The Ludhiana Commissionerate of Police (CP) recorded a high number of cases of assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty and sexual harassment in 2019, placing it at number two position in Punjab, shows an official data.
According to the data of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for that last year, total 72 cases of assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty and sexual harassment were reported in the city, whereas the number of such cases across Punjab was 944.
The NCRB data placed Patiala at number one with 80 cases, while Sangrur and Bathinda were at third and fourth positions with 55 and 52 cases, respectively.
Of the 72 cases registered in Ludhiana, maximum 26 were of sexual harassment, followed by 23 of assault on women (354 IPC), 13 of assault or criminal force on women with intent to disrobe (354-B), nine cases of stalking (354-D) and one of voyeurism.
In case of Sangrur, maximum 30 cases were of sexual harassment, 19 of stalking, five of assault or criminal force on women with intent to disrobe and one case of voyeurism. Bathinda had recorded 19 cases of assault on women, 14 of sexual harassment, 11 of stalking and eight of assault or criminal force on women with intent to disrobe. Patiala had seen maximum 48 cases are of assault on woman, 14 of sexual harassment, 13 of stalking and five of assault or criminal force on women with intent to disrobe.
The other districts recording substantial numbers of such cases were Gurdaspur 16, Fazilka 15, and Bathinda and Jalandhar CP 14 each — equal to those in Patiala. As per the report, total 222 cases of sexual harassment were reported in the state in 2019.
However, no cases of sexual harassment were reported at workplace or office premises or in public transport in Ludhiana or even in the shelter homes for women and children in 2019. All these 26 cases were reported at other places and similar was the case with Sangrur and Patiala as well. However, in Bathinda, three cases of sexual harassment were reported in public transport and 11 at other places.
In 2017, total 16 cases of sexual harassment were reported under the Ludhiana CP, which increased to 31 in 2018 and came down to 26 cases in 2019.