The 'Crime In India-2010' publication of the National Crime Records Bureau shows that burglaries and house breaking declined by 38.8% (from 1,47,379 in 1953 to 90,179 in 2010) and dacoity by 21.9% (from 5,579 in 1953 to 4,358 in 2010).
However, in stark contrast, heinous crimes of murder, rape, kidnapping and rioting have increased manifold in the country over the past 58 years since the NCRB started recording and profiling criminal trends.
These are findings of the crime statistics of the bureau released in New Delhi on Thursday by Home Minister P Chidambaram. He also released another report on "Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India-2010."
Murders, however, shot up by 240.1% from 9,802 in 1953 to 33,335 in 2010; rapes by 791.5% from 2,487 in 1971 to 22,172 in 2010; kidnappings and abductions by 630.7% from
5,261 in 1953 to 38,440 in 2010; and riots by 229.1% from 20,529 in 1953 to 67,571 in 2010.
Crimes in 2010 increased by 4.9% compared to 2009. In 2010 a total of 22,24,831 crimes were reported under the Indian Penal Code against 21,21,345 cases in the year 2009.
Murder cases during 2010 (33,335) went up by 3% as compared to 2009 (32,369). While rape cases have increased by 3.6%, kidnapping and abduction cases have
increased by 13.5%.
Crimes against women during 2010 (2,13,585) went up by 4.8% compared to 2009 (2,03,804). Crime against children has also gone up by 10.3% in 2010 (26,694) compared to 2009 (24,201).
Crime against Scheduled castes have, however, declined by 2.6% in 2010 (32,712) compared to 2009 (33,594). Crime against Scheduled Tribes during 2010 (5,885) has shown an increase of 8.5% as compared to 5,425 cases in 2009.
The second report shows 3,84,649 deaths in accidents in 2010 as against 3,57,021, indicating an increase of 7.7%. Road accidents caused the death of 1,33,938 persons in the year 2010 which is 5.5% increase compared to 1,26,896 in 2009. In addition 1,34,599 persons committed suicides in the year 2010.
"Family problem was the major reason for such suicides (31,856) followed by illness (28,464). Of the total suicides reported, 44,535 persons (33.1%) consumed poison to commit suicide and 42,266 persons (31.4%) committed suicide by hanging," the report said.