Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The maximum numbers of crimes against women were reported in Indore and Bhopal zone in 2023, a report of State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) said. As many as 7,773 women were molested, 10,306 were kidnapped and 13,671 had to face obscenities in the state last year. Bhopal tops the list, followed by Indore in all-women related crimes.
Both the cities have police commisniorate system, which was introduced to curb crime. The highest numbers of crime against women (7,745) were reported from Bhopal zone followed by Indore, which witnessed 7,738 such cases. They were followed by Gwalior zone (6331), Rewa (6,296) and Ujjain (5,169).
Balaghat and Jabalpur zone reported less crime as compared to other zones. The number of cases, 1937 to be precise, were reported in Balaghat and 2,456 cases were reported in Jabalpur.
Election time, less crime
The crime rate dropped during Assembly election held in November- December in the state last year. Only 4,000 cases were reported across the state during the two months. In other months, the numbers were between 5,000 to more than 6,000.
Molestation cases
According to report, 7,773 women and minor girls faced molestation in 2023. The term includes sexual harassment and assault with intent to outrage woman’s modesty in public transport, shelter home or workplace besides voyeurism and stalking. In 2022, the corresponding figure was 6,946. Molestation is defined as touching or attacking someone with a sexual intent against their wish. The term is used for situations when a woman's modesty is at risk.
Drop in kidnapping
A slight drop was seen in kidnapping cases in 2023. Last year, 10,306 girls and women were kidnapped. Their number was 10,563 in 2022. Kidnapping was for purposes like compelling her to marry, for begging, for ransom, for selling them in other countries, selling them for prostitution, domestic labour or other purpose also. In 2022, 578 women including minor girls were killed in various disputes in 2023. This number dropped to 522.
Facing obscenity
About 13,671 girls and women faced obscenity in 2023. Obscenity usually refers to descriptions and depictions of people engaged in sexual and excretory activity. It also refers to materials, acts, or expressions of an offensive, vulgar or morally repugnant nature. These expressions are generally sexual and tend to contradict prevailing social standards. Obscenity can also include offensive language, explicit violence or lewd behaviour.
Data collection
ADG, SCRB, Chanchal Shekhar, told Free Press that the data of crime against women in state is collected under different heads and the data posted by SCRB on Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems have different heads. Sometimes, they are mixed and misjudged, which leads to confusion. The police are taking action against the law breakers and the crime rate in the state is dropping, he said.
