Ranking second in southern metros after Bengaluru, Chennai has recorded alarming crime rates according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics for the year 2016.
Chennai has reported the highest number of cases of Special and Local Laws (SLL) crimes, a total of 96,977, accounting for 32.9% of the total reported among all metropolitan cities.
SLL cases include dowry, immoral trafficking, laws on child marriage and juvenile justice, SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and laws on offences against State, arms/explosives and other regulatory Acts.
While Delhi topped crimes, that fall under SLS, in metro cities in India with over 2.06 lakh cases, Chennai came second with over 1.13 lakh cases. When it came to violent crimes, Chennai reported only 705 cases and Bengaluru topped the category among metros in south India.
Chennai witnessed 133 murders, while Coimbatore reported 27, significantly lesser than all the other metros.
At least when it came to crimes against women, Chennai still retains its tag ranking 18 with 25 cases of rape and only 3 cases pertaining to voyeurism and 10 cases of stalking.
The national capital once again tops the category and Bengaluru has some shocking numbers to reveal. For child-related crimes too, the city showed numbers that are really low.
But another matter for concern is rise in juvenile delinquency, as Chennai stands second behind Delhi in the number of thefts by juveniles among the 19 metropolitan cities. However, in cases of serious crimes related to women, kidnap, murder, you can heave a sigh as the column is a mere blank.
Chennai is said to be one of the safest cities for women and children, but the alarming numbers are causing worry. The recent incidents of women being stalked and set ablaze by their alleged lovers, acid attacks, chain-snatching at prime signals is all proof for this data.
Chennai needs to buckle up before it becomes another Delhi for all the wrong reasons.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)