Crimes against women rise in Pune, as does pendency in investigating these cases

Pune: Crimes against women continue to rise in the city, while cases pending investigation from previous years are also showing an upward trend, as per the annual ‘Crime in India' 2024 report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).According to data in the report, crimes against women in Pune stood at 2,631 in 2024, rising from 2,550 in 2023. Interestingly, at the same time, a total of 4.41 lakh cases of crime against women were registered during 2024 on a pan-India basis, which is a decrease of 1.5% over 2023.Cases pending investigation from 2023 still stand at 1,776, bringing the total cases pending investigation till 2024 to 4,407. Similar was the case in 2023, there were 1,167 cases pending investigation (crimes against women) from 2022.In 2024, the lion's share of crimes against women stood under the category of kidnapping and abduction of women at 602, as well as cruelty by husband and relatives at 515. Other criminal cases reported in the city included 244 rapes, 222 cases of assault on women and outraging modesty, 159 sexual harassment cases and 165 stalking cases, besides many other categories.Advocate Pratima Mule, who specializes in taking up cases of crimes against women, told TOI, "We are seeing more cases of rape come to the fore, especially with the false promise of marriage. These are definitely more than last year. More women are speaking up and hence, more such cases are coming to light."Meanwhile, pendency is high not just in investigations, but also in the trial process. There were 17,631 cases pending for trial from 2023, bringing total cases sent for trial in 2024 to 19,980. "This is the whole point of judicial delay. Everyone is talking about speedy justice but it is not happening. There are not enough judges, courts, etc. More importantly, follow-up is missing by law enforcement. Only if there is something sensational are crimes against women highlighted," said senior activist Kiran Moghe.Additional commissioner of police (crime) for Pune, Pankaj Deshmukh, said, "Many pending investigation numbers may have changed now as we have stricter deadlines to look into cases. As people become more aware, the number of cases reported are bound to rise marginally. We are taking all measures to ensure speedy investigation and disposal of cases."Women in the city, however, said security needs improvements. Sneha Joshi, an IT engineer based in Hinjewadi, said, "We have late-night shifts, and sometimes I do end up taking public transport. The authorities should increase patrolling at night, identify dark and lonely areas, and install CCTV cameras wherever possible for improved safety of women residents."