Jammu: Even as overall crime has shown a steady decline in Jammu & Kashmir, offences against women continue to cast a long shadow, with the latest 2024 data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) highlighting persistent safety concerns across the Union Territory.
Jammu and Kashmir recorded a total of 26,362 cognizable crimes in 2024, down from 29,595 in 2023 and 30,197 in 2022, indicating a consistent fall in overall crime.
The crime rate stood at 192 per lakh population, while the charge-sheeting rate was recorded at 79.9 percent, pointing to relatively stable investigative performance by law enforcement agencies. Of the total cases, 22,577 were registered under IPC/BNS, while 3,785 cases fell under Special and Local Laws (SLL).
Despite this decline, offences against women and children remained alarmingly high at 2,570 cases, including 1,473 under IPC and 1,097 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The number of victims stood at 2,588, pushing the crime rate in this category to 22.4 per lakh population. These figures underline that while the overall crime graph is dipping, gender-based violence continues to remain deeply entrenched.
A closer analysis shows that assault or use of criminal force to outrage modesty accounted for the largest share, with 1,344 cases, reflecting widespread incidents of harassment in public and private spaces.
This was followed by kidnapping and abduction of women to compel marriage (400 cases) and cruelty by husband or relatives (380 cases), highlighting the dual challenge of public harassment and domestic violence.
Other categories, though lower in numbers, point to the breadth of offences being reported. The UT recorded 261 rape cases, 9 cases of attempt to commit rape, 7 dowry deaths, 13 cases of stalking, and 39 cases of sexual harassment.
There were also 78 cases of assault with intent to disrobe, along with incidents of voyeurism, insult to modesty, and offences related to abandonment and exploitation of children.
Officials note that the presence of a significant number of BNS-linked cases reflects the ongoing transition from the Indian Penal Code to the new criminal framework, rather than a sudden spike in crime.
However, the combined data presents a comprehensive and concerning picture of women’s safety in the region.
Meanwhile, data on offences affecting the human body reveals a shifting pattern of threats. The UT recorded 5,165 such cases, including 2,908 under IPC and 2,257 under BNS, with the number of victims rising to 5,854 and a crime rate of 37.6 per lakh population.
While murder cases remained relatively low at 89, with 96 victims, and a rate of 0.6 per lakh population, a far more alarming trend was visible in deaths caused by negligence.
The NCRB recorded 705 cases of causing death by negligence, leading to 1,324 deaths.
Road accidents emerged as the single largest contributor to these fatalities. Of the total negligence cases, 681 were linked to road accidents, accounting for 1,300 deaths. This included 208 hit-and-run incidents resulting in 299 deaths, while 473 other road accidents led to 1,001 deaths, underscoring that roads have become far deadlier than conventional violent crimes.
Kidnapping and abduction also remained a major area of concern, with 2,772 cases recorded and 2,788 victims.
A significant number of these involved missing children (530 cases) treated as kidnapping, alongside cases involving both children and adults, reflecting continuing vulnerabilities.
Violent confrontations were also evident, with 407 cases of attempt to murder involving 419 victims, as well as hundreds of cases related to hurt and grievous hurt, indicating frequent interpersonal violence and local disputes.
Other categories added to the overall concern, including 28 cases of abetment of suicide, pointing to underlying social and psychological stress, and 9 cases registered under terrorist acts, while organised crime remained negligible. Incidents of medical and civic negligence were minimal but present.
