Murders with minors doubled in five years in Tamil Nadu

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, the number of juveniles named as accused in murder cases more than doubled in Tamil Nadu in the five years from 2016 to 2020.

This was despite no sharp increase in the total number of murders in the state every year since 2016. While 48 out of 1,603 homicides (3%) in 2016 were juveniles, 104 (6.3%) out of 1,661 homicides were. Juvenile offenders included in 2020.

The graphs below show the number of murders in India and Tamil Nadu over the past five years and the percentage of juveniles who were booked as accused. As the graphs show, while this percentage remained fairly constant at the national level, Tamil Nadu saw a steady increase.

There has been a steady increase in homicides with minors as accused in the last five years. Between 2019 and 2020, while the total number of murders in the state declined from 1,745 to 1,661, in which juvenile cases were registered, it rose from 92 to 104.

The growth trend in Tamil Nadu was opposite to the national average. Across the country, the percentage of murders in which juveniles were counted as accused has remained just below 3. The places where a significant number of murders were reported include Delhi (12.1%), Gujarat (6.7%) and Madhya Pradesh (6.4%). ) had a relatively higher percentage of murders involving juvenile offenders as compared to Tamil Nadu. However, Tamil Nadu was the only major state that saw a steady increase in percentage over the last five years.

Chennai, Madurai Rural Police Jurisdiction, Madurai City Police Jurisdiction, Tiruvallur and Thoothukudi districts reported the highest number of murders with absolute numbers of juvenile offenders.

The practice of juveniles violating the law remains a matter of concern in Tamil Nadu. According to the NCRB’s report on Crime in India in 2020, Tamil Nadu had the fourth highest rate (16.4%) of juveniles engaging in crime among major states, the number of cases involving juvenile offenders per one lakh population of those cases. refers to. Under 18 years of age.

Of the total number, while juveniles were involved in only 48 murders in 2016, it rose by more than 100% to 104 in 2020.

Activists said the sharp increase is worrying. Andrew Sesuraj, state coordinator of Tamil Nadu Child Rights Watch, said the trend indicates targeted exploitation of children by anti-social elements. “We are seeing that the incidents of juvenile children getting involved in crimes like theft to meet their lifestyle needs like mobile phones or bikes are increasing. However, such an increase in their involvement in the killings is very worrying.”

He pointed out that this trend and the problematic message made on the “use” of juveniles as penal provisions for murder under juvenile justice (care and protection of children) in some films and other mass media. It is important to look at the possible relationship between ) Acts were less severe than the Indian Penal Code.

The table below shows the top ten districts of Tamil Nadu, which saw the highest percentage of involvement of juvenile offenders in murders in the year 2020.

Child Rights Advisor and former member of Juvenile Justice Board, Chennai Girija Kumarbabu said that there is a need to pay more attention to school dropouts. “There are many students who drop out of school after class VIII as exams become compulsory from class IX. There are also cases in which they remain enrolled, but stop learning. These children fall into the hands of slightly older men who had a similar trajectory and were involved in antisocial activities. “

He said that most of the children who allegedly commit such murders were under the influence of drugs, stressing the need to curb the availability and access of drugs.