SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir recorded 887 cases of crimes against children in 2024, marking a slight decline from 910 cases in 2023 and 920 cases in 2022, according to the latest “Crime in India 2024” report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The data, published under Chapter 4A — “Crime Against Children (States & UTs)” — shows that the Union Territory registered a crime rate of 18.1 crimes per lakh child population during 2024.
Among the major offences, kidnapping and abduction of children accounted for the highest number of cases in Jammu and Kashmir. The NCRB recorded 243 such cases during the year.
Cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act also constituted a significant share of crimes against children in the Union Territory. The report recorded 308 POCSO cases during 2024. Of these, 228 cases were registered under Sections 4 and 6 relating to penetrative sexual assault, while 65 cases were recorded under Sections 8 and 10 dealing with sexual assault.
The NCRB data further shows that seven cases were registered under Section 12 of the POCSO Act relating to sexual harassment of children, while five cases were recorded under Sections 14 and 15 dealing with use of children for pornographic purposes. Three cases were registered under Sections 17 to 22 related to abetment and other offences under the Act.
Apart from POCSO offences, Jammu and Kashmir recorded nine cases of rape of children during 2024, including seven under IPC provisions and two under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provisions. Three cases of assault on children with intent to outrage modesty were also reported during the year.
The report also recorded eight cases of kidnapping or abducting girls to compel marriage, four cases related to foeticide, and eight cases of infanticide or related offences in the Union Territory during 2024.
On police disposal of crime against children cases, the NCRB report states that a total of 1,339 cases were under investigation in Jammu and Kashmir during 2024. These included 449 cases pending investigation from previous years, 887 fresh cases registered during the year, and three cases reopened for investigation.
Out of these, police disposed of 802 cases during the year, while 537 cases remained pending investigation at the end of 2024. The pendency percentage stood at 40.1 percent.
The report further reveals that police filed charge-sheets in 444 cases during the year, resulting in a charge-sheeting rate of 55.4 percent in crimes against children cases in the Union Territory. Besides this, 358 cases were closed under various categories of final reports, while seven cases were stayed at the investigation stage.
On court disposal, the NCRB data shows that 2,661 cases related to crimes against children were pending trial or under court process in Jammu and Kashmir during 2024. These included 2,217 cases pending trial from previous years and 444 fresh cases sent to courts during the year.
During the year, courts convicted accused persons in 12 cases, while four cases ended in discharge and 112 cases resulted in acquittal. The report also noted that 16 cases were disposed of without trial during the year.
