The consistently high numbers from Uttar Pradesh raise concerns about systemic issues in the state’s approach to handling women’s safety.
Team Clarion
LUCKNOW – Uttar Pradesh continues to record the highest number of cases of women harassment in India, the latest report from the National Commission for Women (NCW) has revealed.
In 2024 alone, NCW received a staggering 12,600 complaints of crimes against women, with 6,492 of these coming from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Delhi and Maharashtra. The report revealing the latest data came to light earlier this week.
“The sheer volume of complaints from UP indicates a severe issue of harassment and violence against women that remains unaddressed,” said Rooprekha Verma, a women’s rights activist and former vice chancellor of Lucknow University. “Even when accounting for population, the number of cases is disproportionately high due to non-cooperation from the police and inadequate victim support,” she added.
The data underscores a disturbing trend. In 2023, Uttar Pradesh also topped the list with 16,109 out of 28,811 complaints nationwide. This trend is mirrored in the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2022 report, which listed Uttar Pradesh as having the highest number of registered cases against women at 65,743.
Former NCW member Rekha Sharma highlighted the role of police inefficiency in this crisis. “The state police often do not respond adequately to harassment complaints, forcing victims to approach the NCW. Even with the commission’s intervention, local authorities in many districts, including Lucknow, fail to provide the necessary support,” Sharma said.
A detailed breakdown of the NCW’s 2024 data shows a variety of complaints, with harassment at the top with 3,567 cases. Domestic violence accounted for 3,213 complaints, while dowry harassment and molestation followed with 1,963 and 821 complaints, respectively. Additionally, there were significant numbers of complaints about police negligence (524), attempted rape (658), and sexual harassment (495).
Interestingly, only three complaints were registered from Manipur, despite ongoing ethnic violence in the region. This discrepancy suggests possible underreporting or lack of access to complaint mechanisms in certain areas.
The consistently high numbers from Uttar Pradesh raise concerns about systemic issues in the state’s approach to handling women’s safety. “If the police took timely action, the number of complaints reaching the NCW would significantly drop,” Verma pointed out.
In comparison, Delhi received 1,119 complaints, Maharashtra 764, and other states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka reported 304 and 305 complaints, respectively.
NCRB figures for 2022 also indicate that Uttar Pradesh led in severe crimes such as rape/murder with gang rape, registering 62 cases, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 41. Among Union Territories, Delhi topped the list with 14,247 cases of crimes against women.
