New Delhi: India saw a minor 1.4 percent decrease in crimes against women in 2024 as compared to 2023, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of cases in this category among states, while Delhi ranked first among Union territories, according to the latest National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) report released by the home ministry Wednesday.
Majority of crimes against women were related to cruelty by the husband or his relatives, at 27 percent. Rajasthan had the highest number of rape cases in India, while UP saw the maximum number of sexual harassment cases among states in 2024. Madhya Pradesh led in the category of murder with rape or gang rape.
India saw 4,44,256 cases related to crimes against women in 2022, 4,48,211 cases in 2023, and 4,41,534 in 2024, which was the year when the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
According to the latest NCRB report, serious crimes (like murder, rape, robbery) fell by 6 percent from 62.4 lakh cases in 2023 to 58.9 lakh in 2024, while the crime rate per lakh population declined from 448.3 to 418.9.
In 2024, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of crimes against women in India, with 66,396 cases, followed by Maharashtra with 47,954 cases, Rajasthan with 36,536, and West Bengal with 34,360 cases. Among Union territories, Delhi recorded 13,396 such cases, followed by Jammu & Kashmir, with 3,366 cases.
India recorded a total of 29,536 cases of rape in 2024. Rajasthan had the highest number at 4,871, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 3,209 cases, and Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh at 3,091 and 3,061 cases of rape respectively.
Of the overall 29,536 rape cases lodged across India, the victim was aged 18 or above in 28,950, while in 784 cases, the victim was below 18.
The country saw 1,325 cases registered under the BNS section for the offence of ‘sexual intercourse by deceitful means’.
India recorded 266 cases of murder with rape or gang rape, with Madhya Pradesh seeing the highest at 55, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 23 cases. A total of 2,561 cases of attempted rape were lodged countrywide in 2024, and in 64 of these cases, the victim was below the age of 18.
India also recorded 48,303 cases of assault on women with ‘intent to outrage modesty’, under Section 74 of the BNS, and 15,609 cases of sexual harassment. The highest number of sexual harassment cases were reported from Uttar Pradesh (2,659), and Maharashtra (2,637). Delhi recorded 324 cases of sexual harassment.
A total of 8,409 cases of assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe, and 9,865 cases of stalking were reported in India.
India recorded 5,737 cases of dowry deaths in 2024, and a whopping 1,20,027 cases of cruelty by husband or his relatives. A total of 28,949 cases of kidnapping or abducting or inducing women to compel her for marriage were recorded. Of these, 13,192 cases involved girls under the age of 18.
“A total of 2,84,530 cases of offences against women and children were registered which accounted for 8.0% of total IPC and BNS crimes during 2024, out of which ‘cruelty by husband or his relatives’ (1,20,227 cases) accounted for maximum cases i.e. 42.3%, followed by ‘assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty’ (48,303 cases, 17%) and rape (29,536 cases, 10.4%),” the NCRB report said.
It further said that majority of crimes against women related to cruelty by the husband or his relatives (1,20,227 cases, 27.2%) and kidnapping/abduction (67,829 cases, 15.4%), followed by Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases (67,809, 15.4%) and assault with ‘intent to outrage her modesty’ (48,303, 10.9%).
The crime rate registered per lakh women population was 64.6 in 2024, compared to 66.2 in 2023, the NCRB report added.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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