By Mumtaz Alam, India Tomorrow,
New Delhi, 19 June 2014: Positioning of some at higher echelons of society is not a guarantee that the common members of their community are safe and enjoying all freedom and rights. This is a harsh reality for members of the Scheduled Castes in India. The stark truth became more vivid on 27 May this year when two minor cousins of a Dalit family were brutally gang-raped, strangulated and then their bodies were hanged to a tree. Despite constitutional oversights to protect the rights of SCs and empower them socially and economically and despite their growing share in parliament, police and civil services, the atrocities against them have only increased in last 10 years.
Representation in Lok Sabha
Year
Scheduled Castes
Scheduled Tribes
2004
79
41
2009
84
47
2014
84
52
Share of SCs and STs in Police Force (2003-2012)
Year
Strength of Police Force
SC
%
ST
%
2003
1205300
169428
14.05
100518
8.33
2004
1316191
175215
13.31
106738
8.10
2005
1318295
173944
13.19
108331
8.21
2006
1270447
180964
14.24
109519
8.62
2007
1348355
184354
13.67
116907
8.67
2008
1396769
185548
13.28
127513
9.12
2009
1438301
196412
13.65
133519
9.28
2010
1580311
211385
13.37
153385
9.70
2011
1660151
227057
13.67
166114
10.00
2012
1674755
234796
14.01
173852
10.38
Due to reservation, around 80 Members of Lok Sabha have been from the Scheduled Castes since 2004. Since 2003 the average share of the community in the Police Force has been around 2 lakh. And since 2003, more than 1100 candidates from the community have got selected in Civil Services through Union Public Service Commission. But these all indices of empowerment could not save the community from the onslaughts of the caste-driven society, reveals a thorough analysis of 10 annual reports of National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), a constituent of the Union Home Ministry.
Share of SCs and STs in Civil Services (2003- 2012)
Year
Total Successful Candidates
SCs (%)
STs (%)
2003
413
67 (16.22)
33 (7.99)
2004
422
64 (15.16)
47 (11.13)
2005
425
57 (13.41)
41 (9.64)
2006
474
80 (16.87)
36 (7.59)
2007
638
109 (17.08)
53 (8.30)
2008
791
130 (16.43)
61 (7.71)
2009
875
127 (14.51)
76 (8.68)
2010
920
148 (16.08)
74 (8.04)
2011
910
157 (17.25)
78 (8.57)
2012
998
169 (16.93)
77 (7.71)
Source: NCRB
From 2003 to 2012, over 3 lakh crimes were committed against members of Scheduled Castes across the country – that is annual average of over 30 thousand cases. In 2003, some 26252 cases of crimes against SCs were registered but in next nine years, the figure only went up except in the year 2005. The year 2011 got highest number of cases (33719) against them.
Among states, Uttar Pradesh has been on top since 2005 in crimes against SCs. It was Madhya Pradesh in the year 2003 and 2004.
Crimes against Scheduled Castes (2003 – 2012)
Year
No. of Crimes
States leading in Crimes against SCs
Name of State
No. of Crimes
% of all-India total
2003
26252
Madhya Pradesh
5507
21.00
2004
26887
Madhya Pradesh
4699
17.50
2005
26127
Uttar Pradesh
4397
16.80
2006
27070
Uttar Pradesh
4960
18.30
2007
30031
Uttar Pradesh
6144
20.50
2008
33615
Uttar Pradesh
8009
23.80
2009
33594
Uttar Pradesh
7522
22.40
2010
32712
Uttar Pradesh
6272
19.20
2011
33719
Uttar Pradesh
7702
22.80
2012
33655
Uttar Pradesh
6202
18.43
Source: NCRB
Crimes against Scheduled Tribes (2003 – 2012)
Year
No. of Crimes
States leading in Crimes against STs
Name of State
No. of Crimes
% of all-India total
2003
5889
Madhya Pradesh
1779
30.20
2004
5535
Madhya Pradesh
1667
30.10
2005
5713
Madhya Pradesh
1615
28.30
2006
5791
Madhya Pradesh
1498
25.90
2007
5532
Madhya Pradesh
1501
27.10
2008
5582
Madhya Pradesh
1071
19.20
2009
5425
Rajasthan
1183
21.80
2010
5885
Madhya Pradesh
1384
23.50
2011
5756
Madhya Pradesh
1284
22.30
2012
5922
Rajasthan
1351
22.81
Share of SCs and STs in National Population (Census 2001 and 2011)
Census
Scheduled Castes
Scheduled Tribes
Census 2001
16.2
8.2
Census 2011
16.6
8.6
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