Of Crime and Punishment

The crime scerio in Assam has been getting progressively worse every day. There are four murders and five rapes in the State every day on an average. Over 17,800 people have been kidpped in the State, while more than 5,500 have been killed and over 7,400 raped since 2011. Altogether 1,321 people were murdered in 2011, while 1368, 1383 and 1478 people were killed in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively. Apart from major crimes, as many as 13,771 vehicles were stolen, and 89 drivers and two vehicle owners were killed between 2011 and 2014 in Guwahati.

If the crime rate has to come down, there has to be a system of punishment for crimes committed so that such punishment has a deterrent effect on crimils. Nothing of this kind seems to be happening. Recently, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi announced the proposed ectment of a law that would eble of the assets amassed by bureaucrats and others through corrupt practices to be attached by the State. There is every reason to take this announcement with a large pinch of salt because Tarun Gogoi’s third innings is almost coming to an end, and if he really had such a good intentions, he would have ected this law long ago instead of leaving it for the fag end of his regime.