33% Rise in Sexual Harassment Cases Across Uttar Pradesh, NCRB Data Shows

New Delhi: As Banaras Hindu University (BHU) continues to be under scanner after student protests against sexual harassment, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows that sexual harassment against women in Uttar Pradesh has been on an upward spiral.

Uttar Pradesh, famous for setting up the controversial anti-Romeo squads, is among the top three states when it comes to crime against women.

A report in India Spend said the state, as per NCRB data, reported a 33% rise in sexual harassment cases from 2014 to 2015. Shockingly, the data also shows that 74% of these cases went unpunished.

With 7,885 cases, which is an 8.3% fall over two years to 2015, UP recorded the third highest number of cases after Maharashtra (11,713) and Madhya Pradesh (8,049) under “assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty”.

The number of sexual harassment cases in UP were 4,435 in 2014 (a 33% increase). In comparison, such cases rose 17% in Maharashtra and declined 19% in MP.

A look at the NCRB data would show that sexual harassment cases make up for three-fourths of all assaults recorded against women in UP and the conviction rate has been rising- 16% in 2014 to 26% in 2015.

The report further stated that UP’s conviction rate for “assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty” (which includes sexual harassment, voyeurism and stalking) was better than the all-India rate which is 10%.

The report, stating NCRB data, further said that specific cases of sexual harassment in UP were 5,925, comprising 75% of this section of the law, which is the highest number of such cases reported nationwide.

Taking a period of 15 years, until 2015, cases registered under this head rose 141% to 82,422. However, the other related section of the law, “insult to the modesty of women” (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), saw a fall of 11% over the same period.

After Maharashtra (11,713) and Madhya Pradesh (8,049), cases filed under “assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty" in UP were 7,885 which was a fall of 8.3% over two years to 2015.

As of 2015, the state also came third in terms of stalking with 519 such cases being registered, trailing behind Maharashtra (1399) and Delhi (1124), which was a sharp 38% decrease from 2014 when the number of such cases reported was 835.