Rajasthan has topped the rape charts; it has emerged as the most unsafe state in India for women – of any age. However, there are hardly any government initiatives put in place to protect them.
A whopping 6,342 rape cases were registered in Rajasthan, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, reveals the National Crime Records Bureau report of 2021. There were 4,885 incidents of rape against women above 18 years and 1,452 below 18 in 2021.
As many as 987 rape bids were reported, out of which 938 were on women above 18 years of age and the rest on women below 18.
Uttar Pradesh topped the crime against women graph, and Rajasthan was a close second with 40,738 cases being registered under IPC and Special and Local Laws (SLL).
Opposition parties and activists feel the graph of rising rape cases and crimes against women is a clear indication that women in the state are not safe. However, the administration has said that culprits are booked and action taken against them. But what about the preventive steps so that such crimes don’t happen?
ADG crime Ravi Prakasah Meharda told The New Indian, “Crimes committed and registered are two different things. In our state, strict action is taken against any officer if the FIR is not filed within a stipulated time. We have been ensuring that the victims are encouraged to file FIR against the crimes they are subjected to. Women are able to file FIRs easily, which may not be the case in other states.”
However, Nisha Siddhu, secretary of National Federation of Indian Women, said that just because FIRs are being filed doesn’t mean that crimes against women are not going unreported. Activists believed that social stigma and financial dependence are big factors that discourage women from reporting a rape.
“We have seen, especially during Covid, that crimes against women went up. Domestic violence increased and rape cases also rose. Every other day, we meet women going through some ordeal due to a crime. FIRs are being filed easily and the number of cases being disposed of has also increased. But this in no way means they are being prevented or protected,” said Siddhu. “We need proper and effective implementation of government schemes to ensure protection of women.”
A few weeks back, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot waded into controversy after he linked murders to punitive action against rapists. “Due to the law on the hanging of culprits after the Nirbhaya case, the incidents of murder after rape have increased. This is a dangerous trend being seen in the country,” the Congress leader had said, drawing flak from many corners.