New Delhi: Nagaland in northeastern India with a predominantly Christian population has emerged as the safest state for women in India, according to an agency that maintains a database on crimes and criminals in the country.
The state that grabbed headlines a few weeks ago for a peace accord ending decades-long secessionist strife recorded only 67 instances of crime against women in 2014, revealed a study by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
In 2011, when the last census was taken, Nagaland had 1,024,649 men and 953,853 women. In other words, the state has 931 women for every 1,000 men.
Keeping into consideration Nagaland’s female population, the rate of total cognizable crimes against women is as low as 6 percent, making it the only state with a single digit mark in this regard.
Lakshadweep, a federally ruled territory of 36 islands in the Arabian Sea, with a rate of 10 percent cognizable crimes against women came close behind. However, the territory recorded only four instances of violence against women.
Federally ruled territories such as Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu took the next three slots.
Puducherry, formerly known as Pondicherry, comprising just four districts stand, recorded 77 cases of crime against women in 2014. However, its rate of crimes against women stood at 10.6 percent.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli, which is spread over an area of 491 square kilometers, reported 21 instances in 2014, and its rate of cognizable crimes against women stands at 11.1 percent.
Daman and Diu is the last federally ruled territory among the top 10 safest places for women in India. Set up in 1987 with current population of just over 200,000, the territory reported 15 cases of crime against women, with a rate of 14.6 percent.
Sixth in the list is Tamil Nadu in southern India, which is ruled by a woman chief minister. It reported 6,325 anti-women incidents, but the crime rate stood at 18.4 percent.
In 2011, the state had 36,137,975 men and 36,009,055, with 996 women for 1,000 men.
Northeastern states of Manipur and Meghalaya too the next two slots in the list.
Manipur, another northeastern Indian state, came seventh with 337 anti-women cases and a crime rate of 26.7 percent.
Meghalaya recorded 338 incidents and a rate of 28.8 percent.
Uttarakhand, a northern Indian state, found a place among the top ten safe places for women in India. The 15-year-old state which is known for its beautiful hills and temples recorded 1,395 cases of crime against women, at a rate of 27.4 percent.
The most surprising find of the study was Bihar that took the tenth place with more than 15,000 incidents with a 31.3 percent rate.