Alarming rise of crime against women in Assam: Cong

The Assam Mahila Congress onMonday expressed concern over the ''alarming increase'' of crimeagainst women during the last few years under the present BJPgovernment.

The state has reported ''the highest rate of crimeagainst women for the last three years consecutively'' and theNational Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics reveal that itis constantly increasing, Assam Mahila Congress president andMLA Nandita Das told reporters here.

Incidents of registered violence against women were20,869 in 2016, which increased to 23,082 in 2017 and to27,728 in 2018, while in 2019, it again reported the highestcrime rate ''at 177.8 per lakh population'', she said.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee General SecretaryBobbeeta Sharma highlighted incidents of rape and violence inthe recent past, including the alleged rape and killing of ateenager and her aunt in Dibrugarh district.

The girl was sleeping with her aunt, who was killed,and the girl was dragged out of the house, raped and thenkilled by the miscreants, Sharma alleged.

''A house is considered to be the safest place butunder this government, even the four walls are not safe forwomen in Assam,'' she said.

Sharma said the fact that such cases are increasingproves that the state government and its agencies have failedto instil fear among the perpetrators.

She added that the Congress in its manifesto for theforthcoming polls will include several measures for theprotection of women, including a woman police battalion forceand women cell in all police stations.