Nagaland crime: 2017 record is lowest in four years

Temshinaro
Dimapur, March 19 (EMN): Crime is an unlawful activity committed by an individual or a group which is punishable with penalties up to the extent of facing ‘capital punishment’.
Nagaland with a total population of over 22.8 lakh is one of the smallest states in the country comprising of 12 districts with Noklak as the youngest district – declared on December 21, 2017.
Records of crime and criminal activities happening across the state have always tend to fluctuate with Dimapur was the constant. Over the years, Dimapur has always topped the list of districts where maximum cases of crime were registered.
Comparative statistics of crime reported in Nagaland for the years 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 provided by the Police Head Quarter (PHQ) shows that a total of 4252 cases have OCCURED in the state under various crime heads.
The report shows that 2017 witnessed the least with 928 cases while the year 2016 witnessed the maximum cases of crime with 1212 cases; and 1172 cases in 2014, and 940 cases in 2015 respectively.
For the year 2016 ‘crime for theft’ witnessed the maximum reports with as many as 475 cases and the year 2015 experienced the least with 358 cases.
The comparative crime statement for said years include murder, attempt to murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rape, kidnapping and abduction, dacoity, robbery, bulgary, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating, counterfeit, extortion, rioting and other IPC. Out of which counterfeit crime involves the least with just 13 registered crimes.
Despite various attempts to check on extortion cases, the chart shows that it has not dropped much while cases under ‘other IPC’ witnessed the least in 2017 with 111 cases registered. 2014 marked the most with 238 cases; and 168 and 238 cases registered in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
The PHQ data availed to Eastern Mirror could not provide the district-wise record of crimes reported.
The comparative crime statistic under ‘local and special laws’ during the last four years showeds that the NLTP Act topped the chart with as many as 654 cases registered.
The ‘local and special laws act’ covers Arms Act, NDPS/DC Act, NLTP Act, NSR Act, Explosive Substance Act, Foreigners Act and other special and local law – under which a total of 1905 offences were committed during the last 4 years.
Though 2017 witnessed the least number crimes reports registered across police stations in the state, it was a disturbing year with the tumult caused by the opposition over election of women candidates to Urban Local Bodies (ULB) election.
Applying the 33% reservation of seats for women in the election to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) was not accepted by some organisations including the Naga Hoho.
The scheduled ULB elections which was suppose to have held on February 1, 2017 was boycotted by many as the reservation was said to have been against the Article 371(A) inserted in the constitution when Nagaland state was created in 1963.
As part of the boycott to hold the election, violent incidents were played out everywhere and bandhs paralysed the lives of the normal people. During such turmoil two precious lives were lost on January 30, 2017 leading to more violence in the state capital and in Dimapur.
Ironically, 2017 witnessed the lowest registered cases of riot in 4 years with just 1 such case. the year 2014 recorded most cases of riot at 11 occasions; drastic decrease followed as 2015 and 2016 witnessed onlyreduced figures of 4 and 3 of such cases respectively.
In addition, the year 2017 also witnessed collapse or damage caused to at least two bridges straddling across the Chate river and the Dhansiri river.