97% cases of atrocities against SCs in 2022 reported from 13 states: Govt report

New Delhi: About 97.7 per cent of all cases of atrocities against SCs in 2022 were reported from 13 states, with Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh recording the highest number of such crimes, according to a new government report.

According to the latest government report under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the majority of atrocities against Scheduled Tribes (STs) were also concentrated in 13 states, which reported 98.91 per cent of all cases in 2022.

Of 51,656 cases registered under the law for Scheduled Castes (SCs) in 2022, Uttar Pradesh accounted for 23.78 per cent of the total cases with 12,287, followed by Rajasthan at 8,651 (16.75 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh at 7,732 (14.97 per cent).

Other states with a significant number of cases of atrocities against SCs were Bihar with 6,799 (13.16 per cent), Odisha with 3,576 (6.93 per cent), and Maharashtra with 2,706 (5.24 per cent).

These six states accounted for nearly 81 per cent of the total cases.

"Thirteen states, cumulatively accounting for 97.7 per cent (51,656) of the total cases (52,866) relating to offences of atrocities against members of SCs, registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, in conjunction with the Indian Penal Code, during the year 2022," the report said.

Similarly, the majority of cases of atrocities against STs were concentrated in 13 states.

Of the 9,735 cases registered under the law for STs, Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number at 2,979 (30.61 per cent), the report said.

Rajasthan had the second highest number of cases at 2,498 (25.66 per cent) while Odisha recorded 773 (7.94 per cent). Other states with a significant number of cases included Maharashtra with 691 (7.10 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh with 499 (5.13 per cent).

The data also provided insight into the status of investigations and charge-sheeting under the Act.

Among the SC-related cases, 60.38 per cent led to charge sheets being filed while 14.78 per cent were concluded with final reports due to reasons such as false claims or lack of evidence.

By the end of 2022, investigation was pending in 17,166 cases.

For ST-related cases, 63.32 per cent resulted in charge sheets being filed while 14.71 per cent ended with final reports.

At the end of the period under review, 2,702 cases involving atrocities against STs were still under investigation.

One of the most concerning trends highlighted in the report is the declining conviction rate for cases under the Act. In 2022, the conviction rate dropped to 32.4 per cent from 39.2 per cent in 2020.

Moreover, the report pointed out the inadequate number of special courts set up to handle cases under the law.

Of 498 districts in 14 states, only 194 had established special courts to expedite trials in these cases.

The report also identified specific districts particularly prone to atrocities with only 10 states and Union Territories declaring such districts. The rest said there was no district prone to such cases of atrocities.

Uttar Pradesh, which reported the highest number of cases of atrocities against SCs, was among the states which said "No atrocity prone areas have been identified in the State of Uttar Pradesh".

The report emphasises the need for targeted interventions in these districts to curb the incidence of caste-based violence and ensure stronger protection for vulnerable communities.

The report also said SC/ST protection cells had been set up in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, NCT of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Puducherry.

Special police stations for registration of complaints of offences against SCs and STs have been set up by five states -- Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.