Anushka Sharma –
Published On: November 21, 2021 at 12:40 IST
In Assam, as in the rest of India, occurrences of Crime, particularly the more grievous ones, are reported in newspapers and on television, and criminal arrests also make the news. However, according to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau, the rate of Criminals being convicted in Court paints a very bleak image for the north-eastern States (NCRB).
According to the NCRB’s Crime in India, 2020 study, just 1.53% of persons charged with offenses under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in Assam were convicted in Court. In contrast, the National Conviction rate for IPC Crimes was 14.35% last year.
According to the data, 133,641 people were detained in Assam for IPC Offences in 2020. Despite the fact that 61668 people were charged, just 949 were found guilty. 15919 of those arrested were acquitted by the courts, while 208 were released.
“One prime reason for this is faulty and unscientific Investigation. There’s also a lot of pressure on policemen who, besides doing the investigation, are responsible for maintaining law and order and other duties,” said a former DGP of the state refusing to be quoted.
In Assam, 146,123 persons were Arrested in 2020 for Offences under the IPC and SLL. 67232 of them have charge sheets filed against them. 1025 were found guilty, 209 were released, and 17047 were acquitted. In comparison to the National figure of 21.63%, the State’s Conviction rate was 1.52% of those charged.
“The total strength of Assam Police is very low and as there is no division of Investigation, Law and order and security duties, the same Policemen ends up doing all of these tasks, which results in an improper Investigation. There’s a problem with infrastructure as well,” said noted lawyer Nekibur Zaman
In IPC cases, the rate for recidivism in Assam was 1.4% while the National figure was 4.8%. In SLL Crimes, 4% of those Arrested in 2020 were found to be repeat Offenders in contrast to the all-India figure of 5% for such Crimes.