Crime graph on rise, but what’s the truth?

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The record of crimes portray Bengaluru as an unsafe city, especially for women, but an analysis of the crimes reported or complaints lodged at various police stations tells a different story.

According to the City Crime Records Bureau (CCRB), between January and July this year, there have been 48 cases of rape (Section 376 of IPC), 287 cases of kidnapping (Sections 363, 364 and 365 IPC), 262 cases of domestic violence against women (Section 498A) and 219 cases of chain-snatching among other crimes.

A majority of the complaints registered under Section 498A reportedly originate from marital discord, said a senior police officer.

“Domestic violence against women is a non-bailable offence. But our experience through the years has been that it is one of the most abused sections in the IPC.

The real reason could be marital discord and breakdown of communication between husband and wife.

The wife or her relatives lodge a police complaint under Sec 498A mostly to settle scores with the husband,” said the officer on condition of anonymity.

The alleged extent of misuse of Sec 498A was so huge that the then DG&IGP Ajay Kumar Singh had to issue a circular to all police stations asking them to conduct a thorough investigation and verify the charges against the man before executing an arrest.

Recently, the State government has also passed a similar stricture against the misuse of the Section, which was introduced to protect genuine victims of domestic violence.

The statistics on 48 cases of rape (376) are also disturbing, but how many have come up for prosecution is to be seen.

“There are genuine cases of rape, which are of serious concern, but a number of rape complaints stem from a live-in relationship gone sour. Similarly, out of 287 cases of kidnap registered in the city, most are incidents in which a minor girl has eloped with her ‘boyfriend’ and her family has lodged complaint of kidnap. They withdraw the complaint once the girl returns.

Also, cases of children gone missing are also being registered as kidnap cases, unlike other metro cities, after former police chief Shankar Bidari issued a circular to the all stations,” said another officer.

‘Cops must add other crimes to Sec 498A’

Domestic violence is a serious crime against women. “Section 498A is the only law that criminalises domestic violence.

But most cases end in acquittal, primarily because of long legal procedure, which leads to couples settling for a compromise.

But this doesn’t mean that the case is false. The police should add other sections of assault, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and attempt to murder along with Section 498 to make a strong case. Nobody cares for the life of a woman.

These are private crimes and have lost their public and political significance,” said Ms Dona Fernandes, founder member, Vimochana — a women’s rights group.