Question : CRIME AGAINST SC ST COMMUNITY

(a) whether cases of crime/atrocities against men, women and children belonging to the SC/ST community are on the rise in the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the total number of such cases reported, cases solved/ unsolved, accused arrested and the action taken against the guilty, separately during each of the last three years and the current year, crime, gender and State/UT-wise; and

(c) the effective measures taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to stop such cases along with the advisories issued to the States and the Police Departments to improve the conviction rate and ensure registration of all cases related to the SC/ST community?

MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI R.P.N SINGH)

(a)&(b) As per information provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), separate data on crimes committed on men, women and children belonging to SC/ST community are not maintained centrally. However, the State/UT wise number of cases registered, cases chargesheeted, cases convicted, persons arrested, persons chargesheeted and persons convicted under crimes against SCs and STs are given in MHA website. (http://mha1.nic.in/par2013/LS3167_070214.pdf) National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB) does not maintain information on unsolved cases.

(c) As per Seventh Schedule, ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Constitution, and as such, the primary responsibility of prevention, detection, registration, investigation and prosecution of crimes, including crimes against SC/ST lies with the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. However, the Union Government attaches highest importance to the matter of prevention and control of crime against SC/ST. The Ministry of Home Affairs has sent a detailed advisory dated 01st April, 2010 on crimes against SC/ST to all States / UTs.

The advisory on SC/ST has enumerated various steps, viz; vigorous and conscientious enforcement of the statutory provisions and the existing legislations; sensitizing the law enforcement machinery towards crimes against SCs/STs by way of well-structured training programmes, conferences and seminars etc.; improving general awareness about legislations on crimes against SCs/STs, develop a community monitoring system to check cases of violence, abuse and exploitation; no delay in the registration of FIR in cases of crimes against SCs/STs; identification of for the economic and social atrocity-prone areas for taking preventive measures; adequate measures rehabilitation of the victims of atrocities etc.

The Ministry of Home Affairs in consultation with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had convened a meeting to discuss on effective implementation of SC/ST PoA Act 1989 on 17th April, 2012 at New Delhi wherein the various aspects of effective implementation of legislations concerning SC/ST were discussed.