16.8% rise in crime against women in Bihar

PATNA: Crime against women in Bihar has increased by 16.8% with 17,950 cases reported in 2021, compared to 15,359 in 2020.
In its annual report -- 'Crime in India 2021', the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which functions under the Union Home Ministry, stated that 1,000 dowry deaths were reported in Bihar in 2021, which was the second highest in the country after Uttar Pradesh having registered 2,222 such cases.
The incidents and victims of cruelty by husband or his relatives (2,069), kidnapping and abduction (8,684), human trafficking (44), rape (786), assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty (391), dowry (3,367), Pocso (1,561), use of child in pornography (135), assault on women (212) and sexual harassment (130) have also increased in the state in 2021.
The reports said Bihar held the second spot in rioting cases with 6,298 incidents and 7,057 victims during the period.
Maharashtra tops the chart with 9,709 incidents.
As per the categories of rioting, the maximum cases were related to land and property disputes (3,336), followed by family disputes (954), agrarian (743), money disputes (240), rivalry (217), students (210), water (173), caste conflicts (151), communal and religious (51) and political (45) issues.
In 97 such cases, the protesters had attacked police personnel or government servants. Bihar was second in attack on police personnel or government servants during riots after Jammu and Kashmir, which had reported 136 such cases in 2021.
In IPC crimes like murder, attempt to commit murder, voluntarily causing hurt and kidnapping of women to compel her for marriage, the state remained second.
The state reported altogether 2,799 murder cases, 7,626 cases of attempt to commit murder, voluntarily causing hurt (59,750) and kidnapping of women to compel her for marriage (6,589) cases in 2021.
With 10,198 cases of kidnapping and abduction, the state was third after Uttar Pradesh (14,554) and Maharashtra (10,502). Bihar also registered 1,86,006 IPC crimes and 96,077 special and local law crimes.
A senior Bihar police officer said they were yet to analyse the data in order to take measures to control crime and maintain law and order in the state.
Talking about the rise in crime against women, psychologist Dr Binda Singh cited excessive use of social media and Covid-19 lockdown as two main reasons.
"Women easily get trapped by the cyber criminals due to lack of awareness among women and especially adolescents. They get subjected to sexual exploitation and harassment. During the lockdown, many women faced mental torture inflicted by their husbands or their families. But in case of dowry, the state has witnessed a decline," she said.