BHOPAL: A total of 7,418 Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) women were allegedly raped, 558 murdered, and 338 gang-raped in Madhya Pradesh between 2022 and 2024, according to information shared by the state government in the Vidhan Sabha.
The data, presented in response to a question raised by Congress MLA Arif Masood, indicates that on average, at least seven SC/ST women were allegedly raped every day in the state over the past three years.
Importantly, around 38% of the central Indian state’s population belongs to these two marginalised sections, with SCs comprising approximately 16% and STs 22% of the total population.
As many as 558 SC/ST women were allegedly murdered in Madhya Pradesh between 2022 and 2024. Of these, 411 were tribal women and 147 were from scheduled castes.
The same period also saw 338 cases of gang rape against women from the two communities, 186 victims were from ST groups, while 152 were from SC communities.
A total of 5,983 SC/ST women were allegedly molested during the same period, translating to five molestation cases every day. Of these, 3,367 victims were Dalit women, while 2,616 were tribal women.
Further, the data reveals that while tribal women were allegedly more vulnerable to violent and sexual crimes such as rape, gang rape, and murder, Dalit women were comparatively more at risk of domestic violence and molestation.
Out of 1,906 cases of domestic violence against SC/ST women, 1,352 victims were from scheduled castes and 554 from scheduled tribes. This indicates that two SC/ST women on average faced domestic violence each day during the three-year period.
As per the official figures shared in the House, a total of 44,978 cases of crimes against SC/ST women were registered in Madhya Pradesh during the three years, which works out to an average of 41 such cases per day.
The shocking statistics have brought renewed focus to the vulnerability of women from marginalised communities in the state and the urgent need for targeted measures to ensure their safety and justice.