CRIME AND PUNISHMENT — THE GUJARAT STORY

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah, while addressing a youth town hall meeting in Ahmedabad on September 10, had said, “Gujarat is among the states that witness minimum Dalit atrocities.”

Shah is wrong, as the crime rate for atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Gujarat was 32.5 per cent in 2016, above the national average of 20.4 per cent , according to government data. The state’s crime rate — crimes registered per 100,000 population — against SCs was fifth of the 26 states and Union Territories that registered such atrocities (Madhya Pradesh topped the list at 45.1 per cent).

Gujarat’s conviction rate for atrocities against SCs was 4.7 per cent in 2016, substantially below the national average of 27.3 per cent, and 60 per cent in Uttar Pradesh — the state that reported most atrocities against SCs.

Gujarat accounted for 3 per cent of atrocities reported against SCs in 2016, official data show, ranking fifth among 26 states and Union Territories that registered such cases. By population, the state ranks 14 among these provinces.

Gujarat is home to 4 million Scheduled Castes, or 7 per cent of the state’s population.

Atrocities reported against SCs in Gujarat increased 31 per cent — from 1,009 cases in 2015 to 1,321 in 2016, the data show. This is the commonest crime in a state, which is otherwise law abiding and peace loving.