Over 40,000 rape cases in Assam since 2001, govt working to create safe environment for women: CM

GUWAHATI: Over 3,000 cases of rape were registered for three consecutive years during the first term of the BJP-led government in Assam from 2016-2021, according to data shared by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday.

The number of such cases, however, has come down since 2020, it showed. The BJP returned to power in Assam in 2021, with Sarma as the CM.

The Congress was in power in the state from 2001 to 2016, with the BJP-led government taking over thereafter. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal had helmed the first BJP government in Assam.

“Every single incident of rape must be unequivocally condemned, as it represents a grave violation of human dignity and it is our collective responsibility to work towards eliminating this heinous crime from society,” Sarma wrote on X, sharing the data of rape cases registered in the state from 2001 to July 2024.

“The chart... reflects our ongoing efforts and commitment to creating a safer and more just environment for everyone, especially our women,” he said.

Sarma urged people to “unite to ensure that such atrocities find no place in our world, and that safety, justice and compassion prevail”.

As per the data, 3,544 rape cases were registered in 2017, 3,296 in 2018 and 3,546 in 2019. The 2019 figure was the highest during the 2001-July 2024 period.

The number of cases was 1,657 in 2020, 1,733 in 2021, 1,113 in 2022, 989 in 2023 and 580 till July 2024.

During the Congress rule from 2001 to 2016, the highest number of such cases at 1,980 was registered in 2014, it showed.