KARNATAKA - of Planning Commission

Gender and Human DevelopmentTABLE 8.15Crimes against women: Karnataka(Nos.)Sl. No. Heads of crime 1999 2000 2001 2002 20031 Rape (sec. 376 IPC)1.1 Custodial rape 10 6 12 8 91.2 Gang rape 291 275 281 284 312Total (1.1 + 1.2) 301 281 293 292 3212 Outraging modesty (molestation) 1501 1568 1665 1648 15853 Kidnapping and abduction of women3.1 For prostitution 10 2 3 3 23.2 For other purposes 386 334 272 362 256Total (3.1 + 3.2) 396 336 275 365 2584 Insulting modesty (eve-teasing) 147 76 81 100 845 Murder for dowry-by burning 10 15 13 18 106 Murder for dowry-by other means 31 34 16 27 267 Murder for other reasons 334 395 387 376 3498 Attempt to commit murder for dowry byburning10 5 11 13 59 Attempt to commit murder for dowry byother means10 Attempt to commit murder for otherreasons9 13 8 19 2516 38 40 30 4411 Dowry death by burning 61 46 35 36 3212 Dowry death by other means 156 167 185 197 16213 Attempt to commit suicide for dowry byburning0 4 9 11 014 Attempt to commit suicide by othermeans15 Cruelty by husband or relative ofhusband3 3 4 2 01560 1688 1755 1826 170416 Abetment to suicide 198 234 207 198 23217 Importing of girls (upto 21 years) 0 0 0 0 018 Sati Prevention Act 0 0 0 0 019 Immoral Traffi c (Prevention) Act 1226 1337 1356 1388 136120 Indecent Representation of Women(Prohibition) Act 19860 0 0 0 021 Other crimes against women 494 601 406 443 360Total 6453 6841 6746 6989 6558Source: State Crime Record Bureau, Karnataka.It found that a large number of deaths were beingclassifi ed in police records as ‘accidents’ under ‘UDR’(Unnatural Death Register). The category of ‘dowrydeaths’ in a technical sense only included thosecases that had been booked by the police underthe relevant sections of the law. The ‘accident’ casesthat were closed for want of evidence, however,were largely due to ‘stove bursts’ or ‘kitchenaccidents’. Investigations revealed that a largenumber of murders and suicides, punishable underlaw, were being made to look like ‘accidents’ by thehusband and/or members of his family. These caseswere closed by the investigating police offi cers forwant of hard evidence of a crime. In Bangalore cityalone, 1,133 women died in murders, suicides andaccidents in 1997, 1,248 in 1998, and 618 tillmid-July 1999 (Menon, 1999).If offi cial fi gures on dowry-related crimes, includingmurder and attempt to murder (under Sections302, 307 and 304-B IPC) are added to fi gureson cruelty by husband and relatives of husband(Section 498-A IPC), (Table 8.15), it is more thanevident that for large numbers of married women,the right to live in safety, even within their ownhomes (ironically, the one place an individualexpects to feel secure), and in a climate free fromintimidation and violence, is not available. Thirtyper cent of all crimes against women in 2003were registered under these sections. Another 29per cent constitute rape and molestation cases anindicator of the threat women face to their bodilyintegrity within and outside the home.State strategies and policiesThe stagnation in women’s work participationin the poorer districts, the narrowing of theirwork and income opportunities, growing wagedifferentials between men and women and thehuge and apparently increasing disparities amongthe higher and lower income regions of the state,when combined with rising aspirations as refl ectedin women’s growing educational involvement,pose a major challenge to the policies, strategiesand programmes of the government.During the last decade, state actions to supportwomen have occurred, both through andoutside the Department of Women and Child186