Shruti Suman
For the third consecutive year, Kolkata has been declared the safest city in India, with the lowest number of cognizable offenses per lakh population among metropolises, according to a report published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). In 2022, the eastern metropolis recorded 86.5 cases of cognizable offenses per lakh people. Pune (280.7) and Hyderabad (299.2) followed Kolkata in the rankings, as per NCRB data.
Cognizable crimes refer to those for which cases are registered under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL). Kolkata’s crime statistics have shown a positive trend, with 86.5 cases per lakh people in 2022, compared to 103.4 in 2021 and 129.5 in 2020.
The comparison among 19 cities with over 20 lakh population revealed Kolkata’s top ranking in safety. However, the city saw an increase in crimes against women, with cases rising from 1,783 in 2021 to 1,890 in 2022. The crime rate against women in Kolkata (27.1 per lakh population) surpassed that of Coimbatore (12.9) and Chennai (17.1).
Despite the overall positive trend, Kolkata experienced a drop in violent crimes, with 34 reported murder cases in 2022 compared to 45 in the previous year. The number of reported rapes remained constant at 11 cases in both 2021 and 2022.
The NCRB report, titled ‘Crime in India 2022,’ is based on data collected from 36 states, Union territories, and central agencies.
