National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data 2023 has turned out to be a nightmare for West Bengal. A recent analysis of this data by The Hindu suggests that the odds of getting justice for women victims in West Bengal are 5 in 100 at best.
West Bengal ranks 35th among all states and UTs
The analysis shows that the conviction rate in cases pertaining to crimes against women was 5% on average between 2017 to 2023. Worse than that, conviction rate in crime against women dropped to 3.7 in West Bengal in the year 2023. This made West Bengal the 35th state among all states and UTs.
While this data is worrying, it also explains why CM Mamata Banerjee advised the women of West Bengal against venturing out under the night sky. The state has fallen to the bottom in the case of convictions. But it tops the charts in cases of acid attacks on women. It is also on the top charts when it comes to reported cases of crimes against women. Albeit a large number of cases of crimes against women or crime in general go unreported in Bengal. It still finds its place in the 4th position with more than 30,000 cases of crimes reported against women every year since 2018. Apprehensions have it the number goes far beyond
West Bengal Police remains inefficient in solving crimes
The cause of such peril of women’s security and justice in West Bengal could be attributed to multifarious factors. One of these is the heavily politicised police, as alleged by the former Governor of West Bengal. This has been reiterated by the police itself through its actions. The inefficiency of West Bengal Police in securing the site of the rape and murder at RG Kar is infamously known to all. Beyond that, the police led the vandalisation of the site on the pretext of construction. All this was done under political instructions, as alleged by the opposition parties in West Bengal.
The inefficiency of the police in investigating any criminal case could be relegated to the heavy shortage of uniformed force. This was underscored when the police sent four traffic volunteers along with one ASI to arrest the fifth accused in the Durgapur rape case. These volunteers are neither trained for criminal matters nor meant to be deployed for such cases.
The misery of Bengal, in the face of poor conviction, is a crisis for the state’s culture. For long, the state was known for its truly liberating ideas propagated for the emancipation of women. Now, with convictions at the bottom and acquittals at the apex, the situation is only grim, and any hope seems far.
