Kolkata reported the least number of rape cases among 19 metropolitan cities in India last year, according to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Kolkata reported 11 cases of rape in 2021, while Delhi reported 1,226 rape cases – the highest in the country.
Delhi was followed by Jaipur where 502 rape cases were registered, while in Mumbai, 364 cases of rape under IPC Section 376 were reported.
Along with Kolkata, at the bottom of the chart was Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu where 12 rape cases were reported and Patna where 30 rape cases were registered.
Among other metros, Indore in Madhya Pradesh reported 165 cases, Bengaluru reported 117 cases, Hyderabad reported 116 cases and Nagpur in Maharashtra reported 115 cases.
These 19 cities reported 3,208 cases of rape in 2021, stated NCRB.
Kolkata was also among the cities where no attempt-to-rape cases were registered.
Kolkata had reported 14 rape cases in 2019, while in 2020, it was at 11.
Among states, Rajasthan last year reported the highest number of rape cases at 6,337, while Nagaland reported the lowest number of cases at four. West Bengal reported 1,123 rape cases.
In all, India reported a total of 31,677 rape cases last year, having 31,878 victims.
Kolkata had scored 129.5 in the 2020 report of NCRB. Its IPC crime rate declined to 92.6 in 2021 compared with 109.9 the previous year, as per the report.
According to former Kolkata Police joint commissioner of police (crime) Pallab Kanti Ghosh, the ‘hard work’ of the dedicated police personnel was instrumental in this achievement. “The city’s crime rate has been sliding for the past seven years. We must thank our dedicated policemen for making this possible,” Ghosh said.
He also said that despite the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police being expanded following the addition of areas like Behala, Thakurpukur, Kasba and Survey Park, the infrastructure remained “unchanged”.
“Most of the crimes these days are happening in the areas that were added, but our police officers are dealing with those quite intelligently. However, we must not forget that conventional crimes have come down as criminals are going high-tech now,” Ghosh added.
