NEW DELHI: As the annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau was released on Wednesday, a startling revelation emerged: West Bengal has experienced a surge of 23.91 per cent in attempted murders related to dowry since 2021.
As per the NCRB report, the state has witnessed 322 attempted murders with the primary motive being dowry in 2022. In contrast, there were 245 instances recorded in 2021 and 303 in 2020.
Overall, the country has witnessed 951 attempted murders related to dowry across various states, with Bengal having the highest number of attempts, closely followed by Odisha with 252 attempts. In 2021, a parallel trend was observed, with the nation reporting 952 dowry-related murder attempts, and Odisha topping the list with 275 instances, while Bengal recorded 245 attempts. Similarly, both states were at the forefront in 2020, accounting for the highest number of attempts at 303 and 284, contributing to the national total of 1,169 instances.
In contrast, the crime statistics have seen a significant decrease in the number of dowry deaths in the country, totalling 6,307, compared to the 6,589 instances reported in 2021. In 2022, Bengal recorded 406 dowry deaths, while Odisha reported 263 instances.
Nevertheless, a strange trend has been noted in West Bengal, where no cases were registered under the Dowry Prohibition Act in both 2022 and 2021. In contrast, Odisha had 10 and 465 cases registered in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with the highest number of Dowry Prohibition Act cases in both years.