Gujarat records 4,890 atrocity cases against SC, ST communities in three years
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Gujarat recorded 4,890 cases of atrocities against Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities between 2022 and 2024, according to data placed before the Rajya Sabha, with conviction rates remaining significantly below the national average.
The state registered 1,609 cases in 2022, 1,680 in 2023 and 1,601 in 2024. Cases involving SC communities accounted for about 81% of the total during the three-year period.
The data also indicated a modest decline in cases pending investigation. The number fell from 489 in 2022 to 449 in 2024, representing an 8.2% reduction.
The decline was more pronounced in cases involving ST communities, with pending investigations dropping from 125 to 90. For SC-related cases, however, the fall was marginal, from 364 to 359.
Conviction rates remained low throughout the period. For SC cases, the rate increased from 4.4% in 2022 to 7.4% in 2023, before declining to 5.4% in 2024. Among ST cases, convictions rose from 8% in 2022 to 11.7% in 2023, but fell sharply to 4.5% in 2024.
The 2024 figures were considerably below the national conviction rates of 33.9% for SC cases and 33.2% for ST cases, The New Indian Express reported.
Meanwhile, the number of victims receiving relief increased steadily, from 1,623 in 2022-23 to 2,195 in 2023-24 and 2,659 in 2024-25.
Central assistance to Gujarat also rose, from Rs 4.2 crore in 2022-23 to more than Rs 30 crore in 2024-25. Over three financial years, the state received around Rs 64 crore, while 6,477 victims were provided relief.