Assam, Manipur, UP record highest no. of cases of sedition & under UAPA, NCRB data shows

In the overall number of cases registered under 'Offences against State', however, there was a decline — 5,613 cases in 2020 against 7,656 cases in 2019.

File image of activists displaying placards during a protest in New Delhi | Photo: Kamal Kishore | PTI

New Delhi: Manipur, Assam and Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of cases under ‘Offences against State’, according to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Wednesday.

‘Offences against State’ includes cases booked under sedition, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Official Secrets Act, damage to public property, and imputation, assertions prejudicial to national integration.

However, there was a decline in the overall number of cases registered — 5,613 cases (26.7 per cent) in 2020 as against 7,656 cases in 2019.

Of the 5,613 cases, 4,524 cases (80.6 per cent) were registered under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, followed by 796 cases (14.2 per cent) under UAPA.

States with highest number of cases under UAPA

Manipur, Jharkhand, Assam and Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of cases under UAPA — 169, 86, 76 and 72, respectively.

Meanwhile, Manipur, Assam, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of sedition cases in 2020. While Manipur lodged 15 such cases, Assam registered 12, Karnataka 8, and Uttar Pradesh 7.

Among the Union Territories, Delhi recorded 5 sedition cases.

Assam, however, witnessed an overall drop in cases under ‘Offences against State’ — from 447 in 2019 to 333 in 2020. Manipur also saw a decline — from 315 cases in 2019 to 191 in 2020.

Uttar Pradesh, meanwhile, saw a rise — 2,217 cases in 2020 compared to 2,107 cases in 2019.

Maharashtra registered the maximum number of cases (10) under the Official Secrets Act, followed by Rajasthan (6).

Uttar Pradesh registered the highest number of cases (2,126) under Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, followed by Tamil Nadu (639).

There was a 28 per cent increase in registration of cases in 2020 as against 2019 due to violation of Covid norms, the report noted. The crime rate registered per lakh population increased to 487.8 in 2020 from 385.5 in 2019, the NCRB report added.

(Edited by Neha Mahajan)