According to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau, a sharp increase in atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has been registered in the country. Madhya Pradesh had registered a total of 4,753 such cases in 2018, which increased to 5,300 in 2019. However, in 2020, the figure reached 6,899, according to the NCRB data. This is an increase of about 30%. And the numbers have triggered a blame game between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress in the state.
Overall the rate of crimes against Scheduled Castes stood at 60.8%, but, in a positive development, the charge sheet filing rate stood at 99.3% last year. The figure was 98.9% in the neighboring state of Chhattisgarh, where crimes against scheduled castes registered a slight decline. Compared to the year 2019 when the state saw 341 cases in the category, the year 2020 saw 316 cases.
There has also been an increase of about 25% in atrocities against scheduled tribes in Madhya Pradesh, which constitute about 22% of the population. The NCRB data shows that a total of 2,401 cases (a jump of 24.92%) of crimes against tribal people were registered in the state, up from 1,922 in 2019 and 1,868 in 2018. The overall crime rate against STs stood at 15.7%, and the rate of chargesheet filing in such cases was 99.6%.
The data comes at a time when both the BJP and the Congress are struggling to woo the two communities in preparation for the upcoming by-elections and the assembly elections in 2023.
While the Other Backward Classes (OBC) constitute 50.09% of the state’s population, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes together constitute about 37%.
Perhaps this is the reason why BJP and Congress are engaged in attacking each other for crimes against Dalits and Adivasis.
Led by Kamal Nath, the Congress this month took out the Adivasi Adhikar Yatra in tribal-dominated areas, pointing to atrocities against tribals and highlighting five murders in a Dalit family in Dewas as a sign of rising crimes against communities. Responding to the NCRB data, Nath said that in case of ST atrocities, MP topped the chart with 20% increase in cases. He also claimed that the state is the most unsafe for children as per the report.
He said that since the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government came to power, crimes against Dalits and Adivasis have increased, alleging that criminals have no fear of law now.
BJP state chief VD Sharma said Nath has no right to speak on these matters as his government’s record is pathetic. Sharma claimed that a Dalit man was set on fire when he was the chief minister and was referred to a hospital only after the intervention of the SC commission, Sharma claimed that two children were kidnapped in Chitrakoot under Nath’s rule. and was brutally murdered and two farmers were beaten up. Put to death in Dhar.
“All this is a bundle of lies of the Congress party. Every section is safe in the BJP government.”
The BJP is also celebrating the martyrdom day of the tribal king Shankar Shah in a grand ceremony in Jabalpur on Saturday. Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the event. Also, the pride day dedicated to tribal heroes will be celebrated on 15 November.
The BJP recently held a meeting of the Scheduled Castes Cell in Bhopal, in which a resolution was taken to ensure the welfare of Dalits. Sharma had attended the meeting of the ST Cell State Executive in Jabalpur on Thursday.
State Home Minister Narottam Mishra on NCRB data said that the state registers crimes and does not believe in hiding things. Referring to the e-FIR facility provided by the state police recently, Mishra said, “MP is the first state where you can register an FIR from your mobile phone.”
Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said, “This is a reflection of the deteriorating law and order situation during the Congress government. We have curbed the mafia and also acted on crimes against women.”
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