NEW DELHI: Over 47,000 complaints have been lodged with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) in the past four years, with caste-based atrocities, land disputes, and issues concerning government jobs emerging as the primary concerns, according to official data.
As per information shared by the NCSC in response to an RTI filed by PTI, the Commission received 11,917 complaints in 2020-21, 13,964 in 2021-22, 12,402 in 2022-23, and 9,550 complaints so far in 2024.
Speaking to PTI about the data, NCSC chairperson Kishor Makwana said the most frequent complaints were related to atrocities against Scheduled Castes, followed by land disputes and problems within the government services sector.
"In a bid to address the complaints speedily, from next month, I or my members will be visiting the state offices to personally investigate the issues faced by the people there," Makwana said. He added that he is holding hearings four times a week to meet with individuals and listen to their grievances. "Since I took charge, I have ensured my office remains open to meet people," he said.
A senior NCSC official noted that Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of complaints filed amongst all states. The Commission receives 200-300 complaints daily, with many being resolved in a matter of days.
The figures provided in the data largely reflect complaints that are still in the process of resolution, the official explained. "There is not a single complaint that has been left unattended. They are all under consideration," the official said.
Data from the national helpline for reporting atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes indicated that 602,177 calls have been received to date. Of these, a total of 5,843 grievances were logged, and 1,784 of these have already been resolved. The majority of calls, more than half, came from Uttar Pradesh, with 310,623 calls recorded. This helpline is monitored by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry.
According to the most recent government report on the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the bulk of caste-based atrocities are concentrated in 13 states, which accounted for 97.7% of all cases in 2022. Of the 51,656 cases registered under the law that year, Uttar Pradesh accounted for 23.78% of the total with 12,287 cases, followed by Rajasthan with 8,651 cases (16.75%), and Madhya Pradesh with 7,732 cases (14.97%).
Other states with significant numbers of caste atrocity cases include Bihar with 6,799 cases (13.16%), Odisha with 3,576 (6.93%), and Maharashtra with 2,706 cases (5.24%). These six states alone made up nearly 81% of the total cases.