More Nagpur minors involved in murders than Mumbai, Pune: NCRB data

Nagpur: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)’s 2020 crime statistics reveal that more minors from Nagpur were involved in murders (nine) than from Mumbai (five) or Pune (eight).
Though there is a decline in the overall number of minors in criminal activities — known as ‘juveniles in conflict with law’ in legal parlance of the Juvenile Justice Act — their involvement in certain types of offences has still kept cops on their toes.
As per NCRB’s latest data, while Mumbai had most minors accused in different crimes (overall) in the state in 2020, Nagpur had more juveniles in crime than Pune in 2019 and 2020, despite the former having lesser population. In 2019, Pune had 299 minors in crime as compared to Nagpur's 369. In 2020, Nagpur had 274 minors named in different crimes as compared to 243 in Pune.
In theft cases, 102 minors were named as accused in Nagpur in 2020, while Mumbai had 63 and Pune 39. In burglary category, 19 minors were named as accused in Nagpur while 15 in Mumbai and 12 in Pune. Similarly, Nagpur had 18 minors named in robberies while Pune had 18.
City police chief (CP) Amitesh Kumar said bringing down the number of minors in crime is a top priority for the police department, with regular counselling for juveniles and their parents at various camps being held for this purpose.
“We have been urging the parents to ensure minors are engaged in education or other constructive activities. At citizen-police committee meetings, I have been been apprising parents of the need to keep minors under watch and monitor their activities,” Kumar said, adding that there had been a positive impact of the efforts taken by the police to quell involvement of minors in crime.
Former CP BK Upadhyay had undertaken an initiative under CARE programme in which he ensured that the social service branch (SSB) dedicatedly addressed the issue of minors committing crimes, and keep a tab on their activities with a positive mindset. “We used to organize different events and programmes involving the minors who were involved in crimes,” he said.
Another erstwhile CP Praveen Dixit said he had engaged Matrusewa Sangh and Rotary Club to conduct counselling of minors in crime and tried to bring them back into the mainstream of society. “Dropping out from schools and higher education has been a reason behind their involvement in crime. The society should not abandon minors but take them into its fold, and strive for their reformation and rehabilitation with police playing the role of a catalyst, as the data of such people is with the department,” Dixit said.
District child protection officer Mushtaq Pathan of women and child development department said the minors in crime are lodged at the observation home where their skill development, counselling and such reformation exercises are being encouraged. “Probationary officers visit the residences of minors who were named in different crimes, and prepare their social audit reports. They are being rehabilitated accordingly as per a plan,” Pathan said.