In News:

The latest report from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) highlights an alarming surge in crimes against Scheduled Tribes (STs) across India. As per the “Crime in India 2023” data, crimes against STs rose by 28.8%, from 10,064 cases in 2022 to 12,960 cases in 2023, reflecting deepening vulnerabilities of tribal communities in several parts of the country.

NCRB: Mandate and Role

Established in 1986, the NCRB functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as India’s central repository for crime and criminal data. Its creation followed recommendations from the Tandon Committee, the National Police Commission (1977–1981), and the MHA Task Force.
Headquartered in New Delhi, the Bureau is responsible for:

• Collection, analysis, and dissemination of crime data to aid law enforcement and policy formulation.
• Implementing and monitoring the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project, enabling interlinkage of police stations and online citizen services such as e-FIR and complaint filing.
• Maintaining the National Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO) and managing the Online Cyber-Crime Reporting Portal, through which citizens can report offences like child pornography and cyber sexual violence.
• Hosting CyTrain, a digital training platform for cybercrime investigation and prosecution, and managing the Central Finger Print Bureau, India’s national fingerprint repository.
• Publishing annual statistical reports — Crime in India, Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India, and Prison Statistics India.

Key Findings: NCRB Crime Data 2023

The 2023 data reveals that Manipur witnessed the steepest spike in crimes against STs, registering 3,399 cases — a dramatic increase from just one case in 2022. The rise is closely linked to the ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities that erupted in May 2023.
Major offences reported in Manipur included 1,051 cases of arson, 260 cases of dacoity, 203 cases of humiliation or intimidation, and 193 cases of unlawful occupation or disposal of tribal land.

At the national level, the leading categories of offences against STs included:

• Simple hurt (21.3%) – 2,757 cases
• Riots (13.2%) – 1,707 cases
• Rape (9.2%) – 1,189 cases

State-wise, Madhya Pradesh (2,858 cases) and Rajasthan (2,453 cases) followed Manipur as the most affected states.

Crimes against Scheduled Castes (SCs) registered a marginal increase of 0.4% to 57,789 cases, while crimes against women rose 0.7% to 4,48,211 cases in 2023. The report highlighted that most offences against women were related to cruelty by husband or relatives (29.8%), kidnapping (19.8%), and assault to outrage modesty (18.7%).

Crimes against children surged by 9.2%, with 1,77,335 cases registered—predominantly under kidnapping (45%) and the POCSO Act (38.2%). Cases involving juveniles in conflict with law rose by 2.7%, totaling 31,365 cases.