Understanding Recent Trends in Violent Crime in Kashmir

From petty theft, sexual abuse, cyberbullying, drug trafficking, and organized gangs to the alarming rise in homicides, Kashmir Valley is seeing a surge in violent crime. 

According to the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) report, the overall crime graph in Jammu and Kashmir increased by 24.6% in 2021 as compared to 2020. The report also marked that crimes committed by juveniles showed an increase in 2021. The numbers jumped to 323 in 2021 with 2020 registering only 171 cases. Additionally, J&K recorded 1,681 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The NCRB report claimed that 79.9% of the murder culprits were charge-sheeted.

Using the available data, this analysis seeks to set out a clear and accurate summary of what is known so far about recent trends in violent crime in Jammu and Kashmir, which is extraordinarily complex.

Crime rates and crime reporting are on the rise even now

Several cases of horrific crimes have come to light in the valley in just a couple of months. The recent cases of a young woman cut to pieces in Budgam, an alleged drug addict killing his mother in Baramulla, or the body of a minor girl with her throat slit in the Lalpora area of Kupwara point towards the fact that society’s values are deteriorating.

It is likely that multiple factors are contributing to this trend in the region, which may include:

Drug Abuse: Drug addiction is a major problem fueling criminal activities. The easy availability of drugs has created a vicious, hard-to-break cycle of addiction and crime. One study has suggested that the valley has around 67,000 drug addicts, out of which 85% use heroin daily. 

Unemployment: Unemployment has made the situation even worse. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the current unemployment percentage in J&K reads at 17.1%, holding the fourth spot of the unemployment graph in India. This severe unemployment crisis has pushed many youths towards drugs and crime.

Poverty: Poverty can lead to desperation and criminal behavior as people struggle to make ends meet. Kashmir has seen much economic distress because people lost their means of livelihood, which has resulted in an overall increase in the poor among the valley’s population. 

Political Instability: Kashmir has experienced political instability and conflict for several decades now. This instability has the potential to create a sense of lawlessness, making it easier for criminal activities to spring up.

Lax Law Enforcement: Law enforcement in the valley is criticized for being ineffective. And with corruption, nepotism, and abuse of power in tow, it becomes easier for criminals to function without the fear of being punished.

Unidentified Agencies: Kashmir has been a hotbed of insurgency. Different groups of unidentified agencies have been carrying out attacks on residents and security forces. This type of raw violence can create a sense of insecurity and lawlessness that may have the potential to contribute to an increase in other types of crimes.

Nevertheless, apart from these factors, more research and analysis are needed to fully understand the complex dynamics of crimes at play in Jammu and Kashmir.

Recommendations

Controlling crime is a challenge that requires a comprehensive and multifarious approach. While researchers have begun to identify some of the factors that may have contributed to this upward trend, it is far too soon to say with certainty why crime rose over the last few years. Thus, policymakers need to take into account the following factors for easy crime-solving and an overall reduction in the crime rate in the valley. 

Addressing the Cause of Crime: Robustly addressing poverty, drug abuse, and mental health issues can help prevent criminal behavior. This involves investing in social awareness programs, providing easy and bias-free access to mental health and substance abuse treatment, educating all sections of society irrespective of economic status, and providing job opportunities to the unemployed.

Providing Education And Employment: Education can help reduce poverty and unemployment, both of which are associated with higher crime rates. A good job would prevent individuals from turning to criminal activities as a means of livelihood. This can be done by promoting entrepreneurship and creating job opportunities in sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and handicrafts.

Community Policing: This approach involves collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. It can help in building trust and improving communication between the parties. This could make it easier to solve crimes by encouraging people to shun fear and report crimes, eventually leading to the prosecution of criminals. 

Preventing Drug Addiction and Abuse: The problem of drug addiction needs to be dealt with stringently and with immediate effect. This can be done by launching robust awareness campaigns and rehabilitation programs past any photo-op event. 

Strengthening Law Enforcement: Providing law enforcement agencies with the necessary resources and relevant training can help in improving their effectiveness to prevent and solve crimes. This includes investing in technology and introducing applicable innovations in police departments to improve their crime-fighting capabilities.

Pinpointing High-Crime Areas: Aiming for high-crime regions by strengthening law enforcement in the lawless nests can help in reducing crime rates. This approach can also prevent criminals from committing crimes in those areas.

Awareness on Cyber Bullying: Young children and youth need to be made aware of and helped through cases where cyberbullying might be in question. Parental guidance and monitoring should be made a priority when children are active on social media.

Providing a Nourishing Environment: As a society, we need to accept that certain social deficiencies could become a catalyst for crimes. Starting from negligent families to an overall impoverished milieu, we have to be involved in events happening around us. Broken support systems lead to weak familial connections, fostering feelings of haplessness and frustration among young adults.

Violence against women has a diverse morphology and should not be included in the general list of crimes such as those arising from lack of education, unemployment, or impoverishment. Heinous crimes against women could and have stemmed from abusers who are well-educated, employed, and/or of elite economic status including those who lack the aforementioned assets. Thus, this violence has to be addressed in a critical manner, with a thorough understanding of the nature and motive of the abuser. The most effective adaptation strategy, in this case, would be to provide awareness in all institutions and herculean security to the females, and a prejudice-free environment to the unfortunate victims.

Different strategies may be more effective in different contexts. However, a comprehensive-collaborative approach involving multiple stakeholders such as community leaders, law enforcement agencies, civil societies, and social service providers, is absolutely necessary to effectively control crime, of any nature, in the valley.

1. References
2. https://www.greaterkashmir.com/todays-paper/editorial-page/kashmirs-crime-epidemic
3. https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/jammu-kashmir-crime-graph-surges-264-in-2021-marginal-decline-in-violent-crimes-ncrb-report-1141244.html
4. https://thekashmirimages.com/2023/03/15/preventing-crime-building-safer-communities-in-kashmir/
5. https://thekashmirimages.com/2023/03/31/drug-addict-son-kills-mother-in-sopore-minor-girl-murdered-in-kupwara/
6. https://freepresskashmir.news/category/news/crime/
7. https://www.stopbullying.gov/
8. https://kashmirobserver.net/2022/09/01/jk-crime-graph-sees-surge-in-2021-ncrb-report