Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative publishes report on state of law & order in Dehli

Praja Foundation and ESCR-net member Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) released their first report on state of policing and Law & order in Delhi with the aim to provide a holistic view, in very objective terms relying solely on official data, of the state of crime and policing in Delhi for the year 2014.  The report further reveals what corrective action are needed to take the agenda of better policing for all forward. 

Stating the need for such a study, Maja Daruwala, Executive Director, CHRI, said that “A large part of public fear and distrust of the police is fed by little understanding of levels of crime, the police response, and the various reasons behind perceived poor police performance.  Much of this fear and distrust would dissipate if there was more transparency and easy access to information.”

This case study partially contributes the high crime rates to tussles between the Delhi government, the Lieutenant Governor, and the central government over “control” of the Delhi Police. This impasse has contributed to the worsening law and order situation in Delhi.  Furthermore, the high number of complaints against police indicates the deficit of public trust. A glance at the statistics of allegation-wise breakdown of complaints highlights the rot in the system with the majority of complaints relating to misbehavior, inaction and corruption.

In the Calendar Year 2014, there were 74,921 cases reported of Theft and while Burglary was 10,281. There were an alarming 1962 cases of rape reported in 2014, including 1818 rapes (u/s IPC 376), and 144 gang rapes (u/s IPC 376D). There were a 2,667 cases reported of assault to outrage modesty of women. Other crimes like Murder (533), kidnapping/abduction (7,186), snatching (7,170) and robbery (6,396) were also registered in high numbers. Places like Outer Districts are notorious with highest numbers in crime (22,222) in comparison to other districts. 

Looking at the situation of Delhi, Mehta, Managing Trustee, Praja Foundation concludes that, “A common man is not concerned who controls the Delhi police but only with family’s safety and security. The governments of the day should focus their debate more on solving the law and order issues of Delhi rather than indulge in political mudslinging. Consensus is one of the hallmarks of democracy so, both the governments should ensure that they consult and collaborate with each other and the police, rather than compete for control over the police. Those representing us either in the Parliament or the State Assembly should take cognizance of this and deliberate on creating a safe and secure Delhi”.

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Please download the report here.