Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Assam is gradually witnessing an increase in the rates of conviction and filing of charge sheets, even as the crime rate is showing a decline. As a result, the law and order situation has improved in the state.
Before 2024, the conviction rate in Assam was 5.5%, which has now increased to 25%. Similarly, the rate of filing charge sheets against cases was 47.8%, and this has now increased to 75.5%. On the other hand, the crime rate stood at 379 per lakh of people, which has now come down to 127 per lakh.
There is a link between charge sheet and conviction, as the stronger and foolproof a charge sheet is, the higher the chance of getting a conviction. A senior lawyer told this reporter that, in many cases, due to a lacuna in the charge sheet, an accused can escape punishment. "Generally, it was seen that during investigation, the police laid more stress on statements rather than the collection of scientific evidence. This mindset has changed, and the police now place more stress on collecting evidence scientifically. The police in the state are now provided with the latest equipment and scientific tools to gather evidence at crime scenes. As a result of this modernization, the charge sheets filed by the police are stronger," he said.
A retired IPS officer said, "Earlier, cases lay pending in police stations due to lack of monitoring of the progress in investigations. The police personnel were overburdened, and they were unable to pursue cases to their logical conclusion. Now dedicated investigation teams have been set up in police stations, as a result of which investigations have become speedier and the percentage of filing charge sheets has increased."
According to Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam has changed through a strong police administration system. In the past, the crime rate was high and the conviction rate was low. "We'll undertake hard work to create a stable Assam in the future, through steps we take to control crime," he stated.
In 2021, theft cases were 12,737, which came down to 7,634 in 2024. Similarly, dacoity cases were 267 and have come down to 69; murder cases were 1,452 in 2021, which came down to 926 in 2024; and kidnapping cases came down to 3,381 from 4,824 in the same period.
Nearly 18,000 cybercriminals were arrested in the past few years. Drug peddlers and suppliers arrested number around 15,000. Also, 430 government officials were arrested in corruption cases.
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