Assam Congress calls for white paper on crime against women

The demand followed the statement by Prime Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that 23 cases of rape and crimes against women had been registered in Assam since the Lok Sabha elections. Symbolic archive image. | Photo credit: Reuters

The Assam Congress unit on Saturday (August 24, 2024) demanded a white paper on crimes against women during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule in the state since 2016.

The demand followed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's statement that 23 cases of rape and crimes against women have been registered in Assam since the Lok Sabha elections, the third and final phase of which was held on May 7. His statement came in the context of the alleged gang rape of a 14-year-old girl by three men on August 22 in Dhing, central Assam, which sparked outrage across the state.

“It is deeply worrying that the Chief Minister, who holds the portfolio of Home Affairs, has admitted that women are not safe in Assam by listing such cases in the last two months. Is this not an admission that there is a failure of law and order with regard to the safety of women in the state?” said Bobbeeta Sharma, vice-president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).

Citing official data, she said the conviction rate for crimes against women in Assam has been in the range of 0.5 to 3.61% since 2018.

“After the confession, the BJP-led government must come up with a white paper with a comprehensive report on the crimes against women in Assam and the steps taken in the last decade to prevent such crimes. This is not a demand for a political programme but the demand of every mother, every sister and every daughter in Assam who wants to lead a safe life,” Ms Sharma said.

Ratul Kalita, APPC social media head, referred to a report submitted by the Chief Minister to the Assembly in March 2023. According to the report, 12,726 cases of rape were registered in Assam from 2016 to February 28, 2023.

“This means that on an average, 1,818 cases are registered per year or five rape cases per day. Of these, 452 cases were registered in Guwahati city alone. And of the 170,174 cases of crimes against women during this period, 8,700 were registered in Guwahati,” he said.

“During this period, Assam recorded the highest crime rate against women at 168.3 cases per 100,000 population, compared to 64.5 cases in the country as a whole. Delhi came second with a rate of 147.6, followed by Odisha at 137.8,” Kalita said.