Uttar Pradesh

• 23 Sep 2024

97% SC Atrocities from 13 States

Why in News?  

Recently, a government report revealed that 97.7% of atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SCs) in 2022 were concentrated in 13 states, with Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh recording the highest number of such cases.

Key Points  

• Atrocities Against Scheduled Castes (SCs) in 2022: 
  • 97.7% of all atrocities against SCs (51,656 out of 52,866 cases) were reported from 13 states. 
  • Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of cases (12,287 or 23.78%). 
• Atrocities Against Scheduled Tribes (STs) in 2022: 
  • 98.91% of all atrocities against STs were reported from 13 states (9,735 cases total). 
  • Madhya Pradesh had the highest number of cases (2,979 or 30.61%). 
  • Rajasthan followed with 2,498 cases (25.66%) and Odisha recorded 773 cases (7.94%). 
• Conviction Rate: 
  • The conviction rate for cases under the SC/ST Act, 1989 declined to 32.4% in 2022, down from 39.2% in 2020. 
• SC/ST Protection Measures: 
  • SC/ST protection cells have been set up in states like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and others. 
  • Special police stations for handling SC/ST offences are established in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh.

Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989: 

• SC ST Act, 1989 is an Act of Parliament enacted to prohibit discrimination against SC & ST communities members and prevent atrocities against them. 
• The Act is also a recognition of the depressing reality that despite undertaking several measures, the Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes continue to be subjected to various atrocities at the hands of upper-castes. 
• The Act has been enacted keeping in view the express constitutional safeguards enumerated in Articles 15 (Prohibition of Discrimination), 17 (Abolition of Untouchability) and 21 (Protection of Life and Personal Liberty) of the Constitution, with a twin-fold objective of protecting the members of these vulnerable communities as well as to provide relief and rehabilitation to the victims of caste-based atrocities. 
• In the amended SC/ST Act, 2018 preliminary inquiry is not a must and no prior approval is also required for appointing authorities for senior police officers to file FIRs in cases of atrocities on SC and ST.