Crimes against women surging in Uttarakhand: RTI data

New Delhi: Uttarakhand reported 1,016 dowry harassment cases and 421 rape cases in 2023,Right to Information(RTI) activist Advocate Nadeem Uddin revealed through an enquiry on Saturday.

As per the report, crimes against women are rising rapidly in Uttarakhand. Other criminal activities such as robbery, molestation, and rape have become common as per the data revealed through an RTI enquiry.

Nadeemuddin (Advocate), a resident of Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar and an RTI activist requested information from the Uttarakhand Police Headquarters regarding crimes recorded in 2023.

According to the data, Udham Singh Nagar district recorded the highest number of rape incidents among the 13 districts of Uttarakhand. Out of the 421 rape cases in Uttarakhand in 2023, the highest, 204, occurred in Udham Singh Nagar.

Additionally, Dehradun recorded 85 cases, Haridwar 50, and Nainital 26 cases. Other districts include Almora with 3 cases, Bageshwar with 5, Chamoli and Uttarkashi with 2 each, Champawat with 4, Pauri Garhwal with 13, and Pithoragarh with 8. Only the Rudraprayag district reported no rape cases.

In 2023, as many as 48 dowry death cases were recorded in the state. Haridwar reported the highest with 16, followed by Udham Singh Nagar with 12, Nainital with 6, and Dehradun with 3 cases.

Additionally, Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag, and Uttarkashi recorded 2 cases each, while Almora, Bageshwar, Chamoli, Champawat, and Pauri Garhwal recorded one case each. Only Tehri Garhwal reported no dowry death cases.

Similarly, in 2023, one acid attack case was recorded in Haridwar district. The state recorded a total of 1,016 dowry harassment cases. The highest number of cases were in Dehradun (382), Udham Singh Nagar (249), Haridwar (203), and Nainital (110).

Other districts recorded cases as follows: Almora with 11, Bageshwar with 3, Champawat with 9, Pauri Garhwal with 15, Pithoragarh with 13, Tehri Garhwal with 15, Uttarkashi with 4, and Chamoli and Rudraprayag with one case each.

In 2023,as many as 698 cases of female abduction were recorded across 12 districts in the state. Only Tehri Garhwal reported no abduction cases. The highest number of cases were in Haridwar (183), followed by Dehradun (178), Udham Singh Nagar (44), and Nainital (27).

Other districts include Chamoli with 15 cases, Champawat with 12, Pauri Garhwal with 22, Pithoragarh with 20, Rudraprayag with 8, Uttarkashi with 9, and Bageshwar with one case. One case was also recorded by the Government Railway Police (GRP).

A total of 624 cases of assault on women were recorded in the state. Dehradun reported the highest with 156 cases, followed by Haridwar with 146, Udham Singh Nagar with 128, and Nainital with 104 cases. Other districts include Almora with 15 cases, Bageshwar with 4, Chamoli with 7, Champawat with 13, Pauri Garhwal with 14, Pithoragarh with 22, Rudraprayag with 2, Tehri Garhwal with 8, and Uttarkashi with 5.

There were 26 cases of insulting women recorded in the state. Dehradun reported the highest with 11 cases, followed by Haridwar with 8, Almora and Pithoragarh with 3 each, and Chamoli with one case. The other eight districts recorded no cases of insulting women.

A total of 26 immoral trafficking cases were recorded across four districts in the state, with Dehradun reporting 10, Nainital 7, and Haridwar 6 cases.

Former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Harish Rawat, expressed concern over these incidents saying, "Uttarakhand is called the land of gods, where goddesses are worshipped, yet such a culture is growing. Unfortunately, leaders of the ruling party are being found involved in crimes like rape, and efforts are being made to protect them."

"Such crimes, even in remote parts of the state's mountains where crime was once unheard of, are alarming. In just two months, 19 rape cases have surfaced. The rape and murder of a female nurse in Rudrapur reminds one of the Nirbhaya case.." he added.