Data pegs sexual assaults on minor girls at 973 in ’24, cops say 596 in ’25

Pune: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for 2024 has revealed that the city recorded 973 cases of sexual assault on minor girls in the said year, even as Pune police said the number decreased to 596 in 2025.According to NCRB data, two or more girls reported sexual assault to the police every day. The police register all related cases under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. The report said that of the 973 cases against minor girls in 2024, 575 were of rape, 262 of sexual assault and 136 of sexual harassment. The suspects involved were arrested in a majority of the cases, data said.Meanwhile, the city police had recorded 835 cases under the Pocso Act in 2021. The number reduced to 732 in 2022, but rose to 1,234 cases in 2023. In 2025, the Pune city police recorded 596 cases.Pune city police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said, "We investigate cases registered under the Pocso Act with utmost seriousness. Our teams strive to ensure justice in the matter. We have observed that minor girls are sexually assaulted by people known to them in maximum incidents. Our officers file chargesheets against suspects as early as possible."Police are improving the city's infrastructure with the help of the Pune Municipal Corporation and increasing the network of CCTV cameras as well as installation of street lamps to avert such incidents, he said.Kumar said, "We have successfully installed CCTV cameras on hills and near parks. It will act as a deterrent to sexual crimes. Moreover, our teams patrol near schools and colleges to prevent such incidents."Principal of BNCA Women's College Anurag Kashyap told TOI: "Crimes against minor girls take place because of four different reasons — the mindset of people committing such crimes and lack of civic infrastructure, technological intervention and education."Planning of street infrastructure is a must — including proper illumination as also installation of CCTV cameras on the roads, near public toilets and near parks — if the police and civic bodies want to create a safe environment for girls and women, he said."Apart from educating girls on good touch and bad touch, parents and relatives must also counsel their daughters," he added.
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