Context: According to the annual National Crime Record Bureau’s “Crime in India” 2019 report crimes against women increased 7.3 per cent from 2018 to 2019, and crimes against Scheduled Castes also went up 7.3 per cent in the same period.
Key findings of the report

• In terms of absolute numbers, Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of cases in both these categories.
• But Assam reported the highest rate of crimes against women (per lakh population), while Rajasthan had the highest rate of crimes against Scheduled Castes.
• A total of 4,05,861 cases of crime against women were registered during 2019, showing an increase of 7.3% over 2018 (3,78,236 cases).
• Majority of cases under crime against women under IPC were registered under ‘cruelty by husband or his relatives’ (30.9%), followed by ‘assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty’ (21.8%), ‘kidnapping & abduction of women’ (17.9%) and ‘rape’ (7.9%).
• The crime rate registered per lakh women population is 62.4 in 2019 in comparison with 58.8 in 2018.
• Rajasthan reported the highest number of rapes with 5,997 cases, followed by UP (3,065) and Madhya Pradesh (2,485).
• UP also had the highest number of crimes against girl children under the POCSO Act with 7,444 cases, followed by Maharashtra (6,402) and MP (6,053).
• UP had the highest number of dowry cases (2,410), at a rate of 2.2 (per lakh population), followed by Bihar (1,120). 
• As many as 10.5 lakh cases of offences affecting the human body were registered in 2019, which accounted for 32.6% of total IPC crimes. Hurt accounted for maximum 5.45 lakh cases or 51.9% of such offences, followed by cases of using death by negligence (13.8%) and cases of kidnapping and abduction (10%).
• Cyber crimes registered a 63.5% jump over 2018.

National Crime Record Bureau

• National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is a part of central Home Ministry of India.
• NCRB was set-up in 1986 to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators.
• Its set up was based on the recommendation of the Task force and National Police Commission.
• It was set up by merging the Directorate of Coordination and Police Computer (DCPC), Statistical Branch of BPR&D, Inter State Criminals Data Branch of CBI and Central Finger Print Bureau of CBI.