Agartala: Finally, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar invited all 12 recognised political parties in a meeting on Monday to discuss the ways out from increasing incidences of crime against women in Tripura for past years.
Following sustain pressure and criticism from opposition legislators on April 29 last in budget session of the assembly, Chief Minister had made commitment to take the views of all the political parties to contain the crime on women.
“Meeting convened to take the views and suggestions of all the political parties to manage the increasing incidences of crime on women and accordingly, administration will do the exercise to device the strategies to fight against the menace,” said a senior official of state home department.
This is for the first time in 16th year of ruling of Manik Sarkar as Chief Minister; he had convened all party meeting on any of such issues.
Bharatia Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Trinomool Congress and tribal based Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) have accused inefficiency of police and involvement of ruling party leaders in most of the crimes on women that increased the atrocities on women over the years.
However, CPI-M and left parties have viewed, with the increase of political consciousness among the common people, development and enhancement of literacy rate had been encouraging the women folks to report crime to police that raising the statistics, which was not earlier.
They also pointed out mass campaign and mobilization of various sections of the society against such crime besides, activating police to be more sincere in handling women related cases including framing the charge sheet would yield better result.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Tripura notched one of most vulnerable places in the country in terms of crime against woman, as the rate of crime against women in Tripura was the second highest in the country in with 86.95 per cent.
Assam topped the chart in crime on women with 89.54 per cent against each lakh of women population. The report ranked West Bengal next to Tripura with 70.30 per cent rate of crime against women. Nagaland has the lowest rate of crime against women across the country with only 4.70 per cent.
The report however, reveals there were 1559 general crimes committed on women and 229 rape incidents were reported in Tripura during the year though dowry deaths reduced in comparison to the preceding years. Dowry death was recorded at 37, which was 53 in 2011.
On the other, neighboring Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland did not record a single dowry-related death in 2012.
According to report, in 2012 Tripura had recorded atrocities on women 21 and killing of bride at 34, dowry related atrocities reported 624 and death 37, rape 203, sexual harassment of children 27, outraged the modesty of women reported 314 and kidnapping reported 139.
On the other, conviction rate on women related crime had also reduced substantially over the year. Record reveals – as many as 2225 accused in various crime related to women got released due to poor performance of police in past three years while only 656 were punished during the period. (UNI)