Growing Concern amid Surging Crime

Nagaland is experiencing a wave of brutal criminal acts of late, including a triple murder that occurred earlier this week in Hakhizhe village, Niuland, and the mysterious death of a 22-year-old woman, whose body was discovered near her home in Kohima. These gruesome incidents have shaken public conscience as well as triggered fear and outrage across the state. While the accused in the Hakhizhe village murder case has been arrested, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) assigned to investigate the Kohima murder case has not made any breakthrough in finding the culprit/s so far. The police should spare no effort in solving the case without delay. Earlier this year too, a woman was reportedly murdered by her husband at Thilixu village in a suspected case of domestic violence, while another young mother was found brutally murdered near Pimla village in Chümoukedima, in April, sparking widespread protests demanding for justice. Two months later, a mother of five was allegedly killed by her husband in Walford, Dimapur, in yet another suspected case of domestic violence. For a state that takes pride in low crime rate, particularly against women, this trend is a matter of grave concern that requires urgent attention. The perpetrators must be arrested and given exemplary punishment as per the law of the land. And justice must be served to the victim on time.

The Crime in India 2023 report, which was released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) last month, also revealed an increase in criminal cases in the state. According to the report, as many as 1,899 cases were registered in the state in 2023, against 1,592 in 2022 and 1,478 in 2021, which is around 28 per cent rise. Though the crime rate per lakh population under IPC stands at 47.0 against the national average of 270.3, murder cases increased from 14 in 2021 to 19 in 2023, and Special and Local Laws (SLL) crimes surged from 445 to 849 during the same period. As for crimes against women, the number stands at 0.3 per lakh women population with three rapes and one trafficking case, against the national average of 66.2 per cent. According to the report, Nagaland recorded the lowest cases in the Northeast in 2023; however, it seems that the number will increase in the subsequent years. To curb crime, the government should introduce safety measures, including enhanced security and increased surveillance. Additionally, it should focus on establishing a robust justice delivery system and addressing the root causes of crime through social programmes and education.