Juvenile crime in Assam drops nearly 43% in 2023: Home Ministry data

Guwahati, Oct 26: The State has recorded a steep decrease in the number of incidents of crimes committed by juveniles and cases registered in this regard under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Special and Local Laws (SLL).

As per latest official data from the Ministry of Home Affairs, a total of 140 cases were registered against juveniles in 2023 under different crime heads of the IPC and the SLL in Assam.

This is a decline compared to the 2022 figures when 246 cases had been registered against juveniles in the State.

Of the total number of such cases in Assam during the year under review, 85 were registered under the IPC.

These included three cases related to murder, one of causing death by negligence, one for abetment of suicide, one for attempt to commit murder, five for causing ‘hurt’, two for ‘assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty’, 14 for kidnapping and abduction, four cases of rape, one for rioting, 28 for theft, 19 for burglary, one for robbery, one for ‘dishonestly receiving or dealing in stolen property’, and one for forgery and cheating, while three were cases of other cognizable IPC crimes.

Another 55 cases were registered against juveniles under different heads of SLL during the year under review in Assam.

Of them, 34 were related to ‘The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act’, three cases were under ‘The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act’, four under ‘The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act’, six under ‘The Information Technology Act’, and eight cases were under ‘The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act’.

As per the data, a total of 146 juveniles were apprehended for various cases across Assam in 2023, the latest year for which figures have been released.

Most of the juveniles nabbed under different sections of the IPC and the SLL in the State were either illiterate or were educated up to the matric level.

As many as 29 of such juveniles were illiterates, while 46 had primary education, and another 38 were in the category of ‘above primary to matric’ status. Only 33 such juveniles had educational qualification of ‘above matric to higher secondary’ level, and none above higher secondary level.

With regard to family background, 124 juveniles were living with their parents, 13 were living with guardians, and another nine were homeless.

A total of 31,365 crimes were committed by juveniles in 2023 nationwide, which is a slight increase from the figure of 30,555 cases registered in the previous year.