MALAPPURAM TOPS IN CRIMES AGINST WOMEN

MALAPPURAM TOPS IN CRIMES AGINST WOMEN

Malappuram district, with 632 cases, tops the list in reported crimes against women during the first six months of 2011. These include 340 cases of cruelty by husband and relatives. During the period ending June, 35 incidents of rape, 116 cases of molestation, seven of kidnapping, 18 of harassment, and 116 other offences against women were reported from the district. However, no dowry deaths were reported. As many as 6,604 crimes against women were registered in the 19 police districts and from the railway network in the State during the first six months of the year, figures released by the State Crime Records Bureau show.

Of these, 546 are rape cases, 1,816 molestation cases, 101 of kidnapping, 347 of harassment, six dowry deaths, 2,679 cases of cruelty by husband and relatives, and 1,109 relating to other offences against women. Thrissur district with 581 cases is second in the list, followed by Thiruvananthapuram rural with 562 cases, Kollam city with 444, Kannur district with 423, and Kasaragod district with 374. Only 267 cases were reported from Thiruvananthapuram city, 155 from Kollam rural, 189 from Ernakulam city, 307 from Ernakulam rural, 300 from Kozhikode city, and 370 from Kozhikode rural limits.

The highest number of rape cases, 96, was reported from Kasaragod district, followed by 54 from Thiruvananthapuram rural, and 46 from Palakkad district. The lowest number, seven, was reported from Kozhikode city, followed by 11 each from Thrissur rural and Kollam rural police limits. As many as 275 molestation cases were reported from Thiruvananthapuram rural, 165 from Kollam city, 125 from Alappuzha, and 124 from Thrissur city. The lowest number of molestation cases during the period was reported from Thrissur rural (45) and from the railway network (13). Of the 101 kidnapping cases reported in the State, the highest number, 11 each, was reported from Kollam city and Thrissur city, and the lowest, two each, from Kollam rural and Ernakulam city.

The highest number of harassment cases, 66, was reported from Kozhikode city, followed by Kottayam district with 46, and Thrissur city with 37. In the case of dowry deaths, two cases were reported from Palakkad district and one each from Kottayam, Ernakulam rural, Thrissur city, and Kannur district. A break-up of the cases relating to cruelty by husband and relatives showed that the highest number of cases after Malappuram district was registered in Thrissur city (217), followed by Kollam city (216 cases). The least number, 68, was reported from Wayanad district. In the other offences category, the highest number of cases, 159, was reported from Thrissur city, followed by Kannur (155), and Malappuram (116). Thirteen molestation cases and five harassment cases were registered during the period in the State's railway network. The least number of crimes against women was reported from Kollam rural (155), followed by Ernakulam city (189), and Thrissur rural (193).

                                                              Prof. John Kurakar