One out of every four convicts lodged in Haryana jails an SC, reveals NCRB report

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, September 3

The proportion of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Muslims among prison inmates in Haryana jails is higher than their share in the state’s population. The state also has the highest number of convicts belonging to other states in the country, according to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) report “Prison Statistics India-2021”.

As on December 31, 2021, there were 5,880 convicts, 18,237 undertrials, and 41 detenues in 19 Haryana jails. It implies 24.3 per cent were convicts and 75.5 per cent undertrials.

In all, 48.2 per cent convicts have been awarded life imprisonment, while 16 have been sentenced to capital punishment.

Against the capacity of 19,999 inmates, there were 24,158 prisoners in state jails; implying overcrowding as the occupancy rate was 120.8 per cent. In 2020, the occupancy was 94.8 per cent.

The share of the SC population in the state is 20.17 per cent, as per the Census 2011. But of 5,880 convicts in Haryana jails, 1,570 were SCs, which amounts to 26.7 per cent. It implies one out of every four convicts is an SC. Besides, there were 6.3 per cent Scheduled Tribe (STs) convicts too, though the state doesn’t have any ST population.

In 2020, the share of SC convicts was higher at 29.3 per cent, while that of STs was 3.7 per cent.

Among the undertrials in 2021, the SCs constituted 27.8 per cent as 5,073 belonged to the community out of total 18,237. In 2020, the figure for the SC undertrials was higher at 28.7 per cent.

Muslim population share is 7.03 per cent in Haryana, according to Census 2011. However, there were 746 Muslim convicts in 2021, which constituted 12.7 per cent of the total convicts. Even the Sikhs constituted 10 per cent of the convicts though their share in the state population is 4.91 per cent.

In 2020, the share of Muslim convicts was higher at 16.7 per cent, but that of Sikhs was 5.3 per cent.

Similar is the story among the undertrials. In 2021, there were 9.2 per cent Muslim undertrials and 6.3 per cent Sikhs facing trial in courts; still higher than their share of population. There were 41 detenues in the state, all Muslims.

In 2020, the Muslim undertrials were higher at 14 per cent and the Sikhs facing trials were 6.1 per cent.

As on December 31, 2021, Haryana had 1,170 convicts (19.9 per cent) belonging to other states, which is the highest for any state or UT. In 2020, the state had 777 convicts from other states and was second only to Madhya Pradesh.

Among undertrials in 2021, those from other states constitute 19.1 per cent of the total.

Highest convicts from other states

n 26.7% of the convicts in Haryana jail during 2021 belonged to the SC category, while the share of

SC population in the state is only 20.17%

• 27.8% of the undertrials in 2021 belonged to the Scheduled Caste community, while the figure was 28.7 per cent in 2021
• 12.7% of the total convicts lodged in state jails in 2021 were Muslims (population share 7.03%, as per Census-2011), while the figure for 2020 was 16.7%
• 19.9% convicts in 2021 hailed from other states, which is the highest for any state or UT

40% convicted of murder

• 40.1% (2,355) of total convicts serving sentence for murder and 16.7% (982) for crime against women
• 97 inmates died in Haryana jails in 2021, with 81 natural deaths and 16 unnatural deaths
• 14 inmates died by suicide; four escaped from police custody, but two were arrested later