India witnessed 82 murders every day in 2021, Delhi still 'crime capital' of the nation: NCRB data

NCRB data: Uttar Pradesh registered the highest number of murders at 3,717, followed by Bihar (2,799) and Maharashtra (2,330). The crime rate per lakh population was 1.6, 2.3 and 1.9, while the national average stood at 2.1. Among bigger states, Jharkhand (4.1) and Haryana (3.8) had the highest crime rate.

Representational Image: Zee News

New Delhi: Not long ago, a spate of killings, attacks and threats in the name of religion following the Nupur Sharma episode had India on the edge. More recently, the sensational death of Sonali Phogat and the burning alive of a minor Hindu girl by her Muslim stalker in Jharkhand’s Dumka have left the nation stunned. 

Last year, it were the murders of Mansukh Hiren near Mumbai and a judge in Dhanbad that’d grabbed the headlines. In fact, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a total of 29,272 murder cases were registered in 2021. This number is slightly up from 29,193 in 2020 and 28,915 the year before. The total victims numbered 30,132, which translates to over 82 murders every day of the year! The victims included 1,402 minors and 8,405 women. 

Uttar Pradesh registered the highest number of murders at 3,717, followed by Bihar (2,799) and Maharashtra (2,330). The crime rate per lakh population was 1.6, 2.3 and 1.9, while the national average stood at 2.1. Among bigger states, Jharkhand (4.1) and Haryana (3.8) had the highest crime rate. 

This was the third consecutive year that UP, Bihar and Maharashtra ranked at the top in murder cases registered. But while total cases dipped slightly for the first two, it wasn’t the case for Maharashtra. The year 2019 saw 3,806 murder cases in UP; 3,138 cases in Bihar; and 2,142 cases in Maharashtra. 

Even Delhi retained its position as the crime capital of India for the third year in a row. It registered 454 murder cases in 2021, galloping far ahead of Mumbai (162) and Chennai (161). Since 2019, Delhi has registered 1,420 murders, which translates to 13 murders every 10 days. In early 2020, Delhi witnessed its worst riots in three decades that resulted in over 50 deaths. 

A total of 1,955 murder cases were registered in metro cities in 2021 – a 5.7 per cent rise over 2020 (1,849 cases). The main motives were disputes (849 cases), personal enmity (380 cases) and love affairs (122 cases). Nationally, the main motives were disputes (9,765 cases), vendetta (3,782 cases) and gain (1,692 cases).