VIJAYAWADA: Crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Prakasam, Kurnool, West Godavari and East Godavari districts saw 20 percent rise, according to the data from State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) for 2017.
However, as per the data released by the bureau, overall crime rate against SCs/STs decreased by 4 percent with 2,280 cases having been reported as against 2,360 in 2016. However, murders and rapes against members of the two weaker sections showed an overall increase of 10 percent and 12 percent respectively. With 44 murders, there was an increase of 10 percent in crime rate when compared to the previous year. Also, 141 rape cases were registered. The victims in all these cases belonged to the two weaker communities, majority of them being tribals.Most of the villages in Godavari districts (East and West), Prakasam and Nellore are notorious for crimes against SCs.
A majority of the POCSO cases were reported in Visakhapatnam rural, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts. More than 60 per cent of the victims in these cases belonged to SCs and STs, the data revealed.
The statistics revealed that the severity of crime against these two communities was high in East Godavari, Prakasam and Anantapur districts. As many as 257 cases (an increase of 18 percent) were reported in Prakasam district followed by Kurnool (252), West Godavari (220) and East Godavari (200). Many cases pertaining to crimes against the weaker sections go unreported owing to various reasons.
“Most of the cases go unreported or are settled outside police stations to avoid legal issues. If all the rape cases are reported, their number would run into thousands,” said a city-based activist, M Srinivas.