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| Is J&K becoming rape capital? | | Every third day there is a rape, many cases go unreported | | Nirbhay Jammual
Jammu, Sept 3: Even though the organized crime is on the rise in Jammu and Kashmir but the crime against women is registering a steep rise leaving the authorities grappling in the dark on the measures to arrest this trend.
Rape and molestation has become the most infamous form of crime against women in the state as the statistics rising year after year. Experts believe that with more pre-occupation of the law enforcing agencies with the insurgency, the crime against women is not being checked they it should have been.
According to official figures as many as 135 cases of rape were registered till June this year across the state, with more cases being reported from the Kashmir Valley. Experts say that this number pertains to only those cases which have been reported to registered with the Police. The actual number can be more than double of this figure.
According to Inspector General of Police, Crime and Railways Dilbagh Singh, the number of rape cases registered in 2006 stood at 246 while it was 201 in 2005 and 217 in 2004. "This year upto June 30, the total cases of rape registered with the Police stood at 135 and if this figure is taken halfway of the year, the rape statistics for 2007 can be estimated at more than 270", said a top Police officer.
Commenting on this ugly trend, a retired DIG of Police told EARLY TIMES, "this figure is just a tip of the iceberg. The majority of the victims do not report the cases of rape and molestation to the Police fearing a blot on their dignity". He added, "the cases which associate social stigma with the victim are rarely reported to the Police and such this figure can be considered is just small part of the total heinous crime against women in Jammu and Kashmir".
Experts are of the opinion that the Police force hardly finds any time in checking the social crime as they are more engaged in countering insurgency. "Most of the cops who were supposed to perform their duties on the beats are now deployed on the VIP duties and pressed to investigate the militancy related cases leaving the local crime cases unchecked".
"Even if a report is lodged with the Police, the pace of investigation is always too slow", said a retired Police officer. He added, "though the strength of Police force have increased manifold in past one decade but in a parallel trend their engagements with the insurgency operations too have increased".
Though hundreds of innocent people are still being killed in the militancy related incidents every year, but the rape and suicides are a major challenge before the Police which needs a policy and approach overhaul to deal with this menace.
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