Combating crime is a daunting task given its magnitude and gravity, points out Kriti Kalra and lists several activists in the country who have been leaving no stone unturned through multiple methods and strategies to raise awareness, provide support, and demand accountability to reduce or eliminate the causes that lead to crimes. She pleads that victims of crime get justice and support to heal from their trauma and rebuild their lives.
Crime is a serious problem that affects the lives and rights of millions of people in India. Crime prevention, detection and eradication are the three main aspects of combating crime and ensuring justice and security for the citizens. There are, however, several lacunae and a pressing need for reforms in the criminal justice system.
Several activists in India who are working in this area have been using various methods and strategies to raise awareness, provide support, and demand accountability, especially in the context of terror attacks and attacks on girls and women living alone in hostels, as paying guests, etc., with examples like the 2012 murder of lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha , the 2023 murder of Mumbai’s Marine Drive hostelite by security guard who later killed himself and the more recent killing of xxxxxxxxxxx.
Crime prevention is the process of reducing or eliminating the factors that cause or facilitate crime, such as poverty, inequality, discrimination, corruption, lack of education, etc. Crime prevention also involves creating a culture of respect for human rights and the rule of law, and empowering the vulnerable groups to protect themselves from violence and exploitation.
Preventing crime
Kirti Bharti is a 29-year-old activist who has stopped 900 child marriages in the last four years and annulled 150 marriages involving underage boys and girls. She founded Saarthi Trust in 2012, a non-profit organisation that protects victims of child marriages. She has also documented cases of enforced disappearances and investigated unmarked graves in Kashmir. She has faced several death threats from villagers, caste councils and local politicians for her work.
Ashok Row Kavi, a 69-year-old journalist and activist who is dubbed as the father of India’s gay community, founded India’s first gay magazine, Bombay Dost in 1990. He has also been a representative at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam and was among the first people to speak openly about gays and gay rights in India.
A 32-year-old activist Manisha Mashaal fights against caste-based violence and discrimination, especially against Dalit women. She is the founder of Swabhiman Society, a grassroots organisation that provides legal aid, counselling, education and livelihood opportunities to Dalit women who have faced atrocities such as rape, murder, acid attacks, etc. She has also organised several rallies and campaigns to demand justice for Dalit victims.
Crime detection
Crime detection is the process of identifying and apprehending the perpetrators of crime, using various techniques such as forensic science, surveillance, interrogation, etc. Crime detection also involves ensuring that the evidence collected is reliable, admissible and sufficient to prove the guilt or innocence of the accused.
Santosh Hegde is a 79-year-old former judge and anti-corruption crusader who has exposed several scams and scandals involving politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, etc. He was a member of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee in 2011. He has also served as the Lokayukta (ombudsman) of Karnataka from 2006 to 2011, where he investigated cases of illegal mining, land grabbing, tax evasion, etc.
A 40-year-old lawyer and environmentalist Afroz Shah has led the world’s largest beach cleanup project at Versova beach in Mumbai since 2015. He has also filed several public interest litigations (PILs) in courts to protect the environment and wildlife from pollution, encroachment, poaching, etc. He has won several awards and recognition for his work, including the UN Champion of the Earth award in 2016.
Harsh Mander, a 66-year-old social activist and writer has worked on various issues such as communal violence, human rights, hunger, homelessness, etc. He is the founder of Aman Biradari (Peace Brotherhood), a campaign for secularism, peace and justice. He has also been involved in fact-finding missions and legal interventions in cases of mass violence such as the Gujarat riots in 2002.
Crime eradication
Crime eradication is the process of eliminating or reducing the recurrence or impact of crime, using various measures such as punishment, rehabilitation, restitution, compensation, etc. Crime eradication also involves ensuring that the victims of crime receive justice and support to heal from their trauma and rebuild their lives.
Pramila Nesargi is a 74-year-old lawyer and women’s rights activist who has fought for several landmark cases involving rape, dowry deaths, domestic violence, sexual harassment, etc. She is also a former chairperson of Karnataka State Commission for Women.
Doctor and human rights activist Binayak Sen has worked for the health and welfare of the tribal and rural communities in Chhattisgarh. He is also a co-founder of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), a civil liberties organisation. He has been arrested and charged with sedition and links with Maoists, but has been released on bail by the Supreme Court.
Bezwada Wilson is a 54-year-old activist and leader of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), a movement to eradicate manual scavenging, a practice of cleaning human excreta by hand. He has campaigned for the implementation of the laws banning manual scavenging and providing rehabilitation and compensation to the workers. He has also filed several PILs in courts to seek justice for the victims of manual scavenging.
Important cases reflecting lacunae
In the past and more recently also, several crimes have occurred that highlight the lacunae in the system. Attacks on women have been particularly blaring, more so because some of them were committed by those who were responsible for their security in the first place.
In 2012, a 25-year-old advocate Pallavi Purkayastha was killed by the security guard of her building in Wadala, Mumbai. The guard was later arrested from a village near Srinagar. He jumped parole in February 2016 from Nashik jail and was absconding. According to police officers, the security guard changed his appearance and had been on the move.
More recently, in 2023, a girl living in a hostel at Mumbai’s Marine Drive was killed by the security guard of the hostel. The body of the 18-year-old girl was found naked in her hostel room. The watchman, a native of Uttar Pradesh was later found dead on railways tracks near the hostel.
Police clearance is especially important for security guards, watchmen, servants, maids, drivers and workers who work in residential complexes and housing societies in Mumbai. Mumbai is one of the most populous and cosmopolitan cities in India, which attracts a large number of migrants from different parts of the country and abroad. Mumbai also has a high crime rate, as per the National Crime Records Bureau report for 2021.
According to the report, Mumbai registered 63,689 cases of various crimes in 2021, which was a 27 per cent increase from 50,158 cases in 2020 and 40,684 cases in 2019. The report also showed that Mumbai ranked 11th among urban centres in terms of crime rate, which is the number of cases registered per lakh population.
It is imperative that the residents of housing societies ensure police clearance for their servants, maids, drivers and workers before hiring them or allowing them to work in their premises. Police clearance can help to prevent or reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime by verifying the identity and background of the person. Police clearance can also help to deter or discourage the person from committing any crime in the future by creating a record of his or her details and history.