The state which once prided itself on providing safety and security to women has earned a dubious distinction of being one of the most unsafe places in the country.
The state has recorded second highest number of rape cases in 2012, next only to Madhya Pradesh. The state capital is third among metros with 134 cases of rape registered in 2012. Delhi and Mumbai have taken up the first and second positions respectively.
The figures were recently released by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) for 2012. Senior police officers attributed the rise in number of cases to the promptness with which FIRs are being lodged at various police stations across the state.
According to the NCRB, Jaipur has a female population of 14.54 lakh. A total of 134 rape cases were registered while 191 cases of kidnapping of women, 30 dowry deaths and 942 incidents of cruelty by husband or relatives were reported in 2012 in the state capital.
Delhi recorded 585 cases of rape against a total female population of 75.76 lakh, while in Mumbai, 232 cases of rape were registered against a total female population of 85 lakh.
The alarming aspect of the data is that the female population in Jaipur is less than other metros like Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata but the number of rape cases recorded is way higher than these cities.
Ahmedabad has a female population of over 30 lakh and recorded 63 cases of rape. Bengaluru recorded 90 cases of rape against a female population of nearly 40.50 lakh. Kolkata which has a female population of 67 lakh recorded 68 rape cases last year.
These figures question the effectiveness of the various measures implemented by the police and administration in the city and the state to provide a safer environment to women.
Police, however, provide a different perspective to evaluate the figures.
A police officer said rape cases in the state were registered at the police stations without any delay.
“Most of the rape cases were related to sexual exploitation. Several victims registered complaints when men raped them after promising to marry them. Cases of abduction and rape by unknown persons are few. We solved most of the cases and charge-sheeted the accused,” the officer said.
In Rajasthan, where female population is nearly 331 lakh, a total of 2,049 cases of rape were registered last year. As many as 2679 women alleged kidnapping while 478 dowry deaths were registered with the police. Over 13,300 women alleged that they were subjected to cruelty by their husbands or in-laws.
src: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Jaipur-third-most-unsafe-city-for-women/articleshow/20639364.cms