In the last almost seven months of this year, the Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir reported five rapes, 12 sexual offences against children, 105 molestations and 36 kidnappings of women, a top police official said.
The district witnessed a mixed rate of cases regarding ‘crimes against women’ in a little over seven months of the ongoing year as compared to previous.
The cases of ‘cruelty by husband(s)’ have nevertheless seen a steep surge as the authorities at helm feel ‘the women folk are feeling more secure and protected vis-à-vis registration of complaints now’, Global News Service reported quoting Senior Superintendent of Police Rakesh Balwal.
Balwal said that despite the saturation of people from different parts of Valley and beyond in Srinagar, the law enforcement agencies are making every effort to ensure the women enjoy as much freedom and liberty as its counterparts does, be it at social or domestic level.
“The women folk are feeling more secure and protected vis-à-vis registration of complaints now when it comes to any sort of abuse”, the police officer said adding although a mixed rate of case registration is being witnessed when the overall records are of last three years are compared there however is a fair surge of cases under ‘cruelty by husband(s)’.
Sharing a break-up of cases under different crime heads against women in the year 2020, 2021, 2022 and first seven months of ongoing year so far, the police officer said that in year 2020 the Srinagar district saw 7 rape cases, in 2021 it saw 21 in 2022 14 cases and in ongoing year so far it has seen 5 such cases. Similarly under ‘Sexual Offences against Children’ heading, the district saw 8 cases in 2020, 20 in 2021, 26 in 2022 and 12 cases in this year so far.
Under ‘Kidnapping of Women’, it saw 42 in 2020, 83 in 2021, 116 in 2022 and 36 in the ongoing year so far.
Regarding cases under ‘molestation’, the officer said the district saw 187 in 2020, 204 in 2021, 227 in 2022 and 105 in the ongoing year so far. The eve-teasing cases stood at 6 in 2020, 9 in 2021, 8 in 2022 and 3 in ongoing year so far.
Regarding ‘cruelty by husband’, the officer said the district saw 47 cases in 2020, 41 in 2021, 70 in 2022 and 54 in the ongoing year so far.
The cases under ‘immoral activities’, drew a blank in 2020, saw 1 in 2021, no case in 2022 and 1 in ongoing year so far.
The cases under ‘dowry death’ saw zero case in 2020, 1 each in 2021 and 2022 and no such case has been reported in the district in the ongoing year so far.
“We have a zero-tolerance on crime against women and I would reiterate it here that whosoever is found involved in any such crime will be dealt with strictly as per law,” the officer told the news agency.