NEW DELHI: A decade after Delhi was given the dubious distinction of “rape capital” following the Nirbhaya case, things don’t appear to have changed much, if you look at the data by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The figures are grim: in the year 2022, Delhi stood at the first spot among 19 metropolitan cities in rape cases. The city, on average, has recorded three rape cases every day, taking the total sexual assault cases registered to 1,212. The figure is comparatively less than the previous year 2021, when the city recorded 2,076 cases of sexual assault.
The NCRB data says the total crime cases against women in 2022 saw a marginal decline in Delhi compared to the previous year’s data. In 2022, the city recorded 14,247 cases of crimes against women while 14,277 were logged in 2021.
As many as 131 women became the victims of dowry deaths. The city also recorded five cases of acid attack, 3 cases of attempt to attack with acid. Besides, the national capital saw close to three lakh criminal cases, an increase of 3.3% in 2022 in comparison to 2021.
Sixteen cases of murder due to sordid love affairs were also reported in the national capital in 2022. The cases included the sensational murder of Shradha Walkar. However, data notes that since 2012, several steps have been taken to enhance women’s security, not only in the national capital, but across the country.
Yet, the real question is: are women really safe in Delhi?