Every year, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) collects and publishes crime data from across the country. And every year the country is outraged. We have TV debates, participate in social media discourse, blame politicians and the government and then move on. The real tragedy of the NCRB Crime in India Report 2024 is that none of this is shocking anymore. The country has become so accustomed to violence against women that such data is kept secret from sight and memory.
In 2024, India recorded 4,41,534 cases of crimes against women. Of these, the majority were cases of “cruelty by husband or relative”, namely 1,20,227 cases.
In 2024, India recorded 4,41,534 cases of crimes against women. Most of these were cases of “Cruelty by husband or relatives‘, which corresponds to 1,20,227 cases. Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of cases of crimes against women with 66,398 cases, Maharashtra had the second highest number of cases with 47,954, while Rajasthan recorded 36,563 cases. Delhi recorded an exceptionally high rate of crimes against women, with 130.7 cases per 100,000 women.
The report also reveals the dire situation in several states. Telangana recorded 128.6 cases of gender-based violence per lakh women, followed by Odisha, which recorded 118 cases per lakh women. In Bihar, the number of crimes against women rose by more than a third in two years, from 20,222 cases in 2022 to 27,359 in 2024.
The NCRB 2024 data also sheds light on the rampant sexual violence experienced by women across the country. India recorded 29,536 cases of rape in 2024, of which 4,871 cases occurred in Rajasthan alone. Rajasthan was followed by Uttar Pradesh with 3,209 cases, while Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh recorded 3,091 and 3,061 cases respectively. One of the most striking figures comes from Himachal Pradesh, which, despite its relatively small population, has recorded 194 cases of rape involving minors.
Society claims marriage is protective, but the data says otherwise
In India, women are raised to believe that marriage gives them security. Families often worry when a daughter remains unmarried past a certain age. Society has long told women that marriage offers them “protection” from various socio-economic and security threats, but the NCRB 2024 data raises an important question: protection from whom?
In 2024, 1,20,227 cases were recorded under the crime of “cruelty by husband or relatives”. Uttar Pradesh reported a staggering 21,266 cases, followed by West Bengal where 19,330 cases were reported. Besides, 5,737 cases of dowry deaths were registered. Uttar Pradesh again topped the list with 2,038 cases, followed by Bihar with 1,078.
The data makes it clear that the institution of marriage continues to pose risks to the safety of women in India. The romanticized idea of “settlement” not only obscures the unpaid emotional and physical labor required of women, but also hides the reality of forced marriage, domestic violence, marital rape, dowry violence and even murder.
The data makes it clear that marriage remains an unsafe institution for women. The romanticized idea of “settlement” not only obscures the unpaid emotional and physical labor required of women, but also hides the reality of forced marriage, domestic violence, marital rape, dowry violence and even murder.
The interface between gender-based violence and caste violence
However, violence does not affect all women equally, as marginalized women are more likely to suffer gender-based violence. In 2024, 4,262 rape cases were reported against Scheduled Caste women in India. In addition, 2,129 cases of “assaulting women with intent to violate their modesty” were registered, as well as 525 cases of sexual harassment and 298 cases of kidnapping and kidnapping. Similarly, 1,268 rape cases were registered against Scheduled Tribe women. The data also recorded 613 cases of attacks on Scheduled Tribes women with intent to outrage modesty, 156 cases of sexual harassment and seven cases of attempted rape against them.
Such violence among Dalit and tribal women is not only gendered but also has intersections with caste. Gender-based violence against women belonging to marginalized castes is closely linked to the caste system.
Such violence among Dalit and tribal women is not only gendered but also has intersections with caste. Gender-based violence against women belonging to marginalized castes is closely linked to casteism. The statistics don’t even tell the whole truth, because in patriarchal societies women are often expected to tolerate violence and live in silence. The NCRB 2024 data reflects the number of cases registered but does not take into account the number of women against whom actual crimes were committed without being reported. It does not count the number of survivors who were forced to “compromise,” the women who were threatened with withdrawing their complaints, the children who were never given the opportunity to speak out because their families silenced them, or those who had no access to legal redress at all. This is particularly true for Dalit and tribal women, for whom access to justice is structurally and systematically more difficult due to deeply rooted prejudices.
When justice is unattainable
Although gender-based violence against women is widespread in the country, the justice system’s response is still far from satisfactory. In 2024, the police investigated 6,23,377 cases of crimes against women, including 1,81,717 pending cases from the previous year. Of these, 3,36,609 cases were charged, with an indictment rate of 77.2 percent.
However, the courts are still mired in delays. There are currently 26,40,698 cases of crimes against women in court in India, of which 23,04,089 cases were carried over from the previous year. The conviction rate also remains catastrophic: in 2024, 1,23,340 cases resulted in acquittals and only 45,832 cases resulted in convictions. Women in India are not just fighting violence; They also deal with the arduous process of delayed justice, social stigma, lack of institutional support and public judgment.
NCRB 2024 data leaves no doubt that violence against women in India is not an exception but the norm. And until the country starts looking at patriarchy as an entrenched system linked to caste, marriage, religion, institutional failure, etc., rather than an isolated problem, these reports will emerge every year while nothing changes on the ground.
Nidhi Jarwal works with the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) and writes on caste, gender, political representation and democracy.