NEW DELHI (PTI): The largest populated Indian state Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of 293 killings of people belonging to the scheduled castes and tribes (SC and STS) followed by Madhya Pradesh with 95 and Rajasthan with 52 during the last financial year (1991-92).

As regards the killings of scheduled tribe people during the period Madhya Pradesh headed the states and union territories with 50 followed by Gujarat (18) and Rajasthan (12) according to a statistical data available with the welfare ministry on the atrocities on scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

Altogether 610 SC and 102 ST people lost their lives and 1509 SC and 225 ST people suffered injuries in attack by non-SC and non-ST people in different states and union territories

A record number of 259 SC and 163 ST women were criminally assaulted in Madhya Pradesh Uttar Pradesh followed closely by Madhya Pradesh with 213 rape on SC and 163 rape on ST women and by Rajasthan had 123 cases of rape on SC women

Not a single SC or ST person was killed during the period in Assam Himachal Pradesh West Bengal Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly there was no case of rape on SC and STt women were reported from Goa Sikkim Andhra Pradesh and Manipur.

There were altogether 796 cases of criminal assault on SC women in the country and 246 such cases involved st women.

During the period under review UP had 285 cases of arson affecting SC people followed by 102 in Rajasthan and 66 in Madhya Pradesh. No arson case was recorded in Assam Hp Punjab Sikkim West Bengal Manipur Andhra Pradesh and Assam.

The welfare ministry has suggested to state governments to pay rs 10000 as compensation in case of each death whether the person was earning or non-earning and a similar amount in case of permanent incapacitation per each member in a family.

It has also suggested payment of Rs. 5000 in case of rape and Rs. 2000 each in the event of loss of a house

According to 1981 census among the states and union territories Uttar Pradesh has the largest SC population of 234.53 Jakh and Madhya Pradesh has the largest ST population of 119.87 lakh.

While Nagaland Mizoram Andaman and Nicobar have no SC population at all Haryana Jammu and Kashmir Punjab Chandigarh Delhi and Pondicherry had no ST population the SC and ST together accounted for 7.85 per cent of the country’s total population in 1981.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 24, 1992