Over 57,000 cases of alleged atrocities against SCs registered in 2023: Govt

New Delhi: More than 57,000 cases of alleged atrocities and crimes against Scheduled Castes were registered across the country in 2023, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

It said there is no proposal to amend the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, as changes have already been carried out in 2016 and 2018 to make its provisions more stringent in the interest of victims and witnesses.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said that 57,789 cases of crime/atrocities against Scheduled Castes were registered in 2023, compared to 57,582 in 2022 and 50,900 in 2021, as per data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

The minister, in his written reply, said that increased awareness, wider publicity and sensitisation of police personnel through capacity building are among the reasons for more cases being registered under the Act

The minister said there is no proposal to amend the SC and ST (POA) Act, 1989, as it has already been amended in 2016 and 2018 to make its provisions more stringent in the interest of victims and witnesses.