Among all Indian towns, the eastern metropolis—which is renowned for its rich culture and history—has the fewest number of cognisable offenses per lakh inhabitants. As to a recent survey by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Kolkata has maintained its status as the safest city in India for the third consecutive year.
Among all Indian towns, the eastern metropolis—which is renowned for its rich culture and history—has the fewest number of cognisable offenses per lakh inhabitants.
According to the NCRB study, “cognisable crimes” are offenses for which cases may be filed under specific provisions of the Special and Local Laws (SLL) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The range of crimes that are punishable by law spans from small-time thievery to major felonies like murder.
Just 86.5 incidents of cognisable offenses were registered in Kolkata per lakh persons in 2022. Based on NCRB data, the city has demonstrated exceptional safety performance, significantly surpassing its closest competitors, Pune (280.7) and Hyderabad (299.2).
“Kolkata is facing challenges in certain areas, even though the overall crime rate decreased from 103.4 per lakh people in 2021 to 86.5 in 2022.”
The number of offenses against women increased from 1,783 in 2021 to 1,890 in 2022, according to the study, indicating a discernible increase. As a result, there are 27.1 crimes against women for every lakh people, compared to 12.9 for Coimbatore and 17.1 for Chennai.
Violent crime rates are declining in Kolkata
Positively, the survey also showed that violent crimes in the city have significantly decreased this year. The number of murder cases reported has decreased from 45 to just 34. In addition, Kolkata continued to record a high number of sexual crimes, with 11 rape instances reported in the two years.
The NCRB report “Crime in India 2022” is based on information gathered from government agencies, 36 states, and Union territories.
