‘3 women harassed every hour in state’

Guwahati: The recent cases of gang rape in central Assam’s Nagaon district indicate rising crime against women in the state.
Statistics by Assam Police reveal, on an average, three women in the state face some form of harassment or atrocity every hour.
In the first four months of the year, the state recorded at least 52 cases of crime against women daily, the figures show.
“Between January and April this year, at least 6,144 cases of crime against women were registered by police stations across the state,” said a senior Assam Police officer.
He added that the figure for the first half of the year is likely to have crossed 10,000.
“Of the cases of crime against women recorded in the first four months, the highest — 2665 — are of cruelty by husbands. Around 60 dowry deaths, 1,740 cases of kidnapping, 1,106 of molestation, 557 of rape and 16 cases of trafficking were also registered during this period,” the records show.
“Every evening, when I go home from office, I feel unsafe. Women are often harassed in buses, cabs and on the streets in the city,” rued a professional.