Tamil Nadu Most ‘Atrocity Prone’ State For Dalits, SCs And STs In India, Bihar Follows
Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s 37 districts out of 38 have been identified as areas where most Dalits and Scheduled Tribes are subjected to various kinds of violence. Data revealed by the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 19 showed that as many as 345 villages in 37 districts of Tamil Nadu are ‘atrocity prone’ for crimes against the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.
The data was released in response to a question by Telangana Congress MP Komati Venkatreddy and Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP Manne Srinivas Reddy in the Lok Sabha.
An RTI reply had earlier revealed that between 2016- 2020, a total of 300 murders in incidents of various caste-related violence across Tamil Nadu were registered under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015, The News Minute reported. The victims in most of these incidents were members from the Dalit community. The RTI was filed by Madurai-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Evidence.
What Are ‘Atrocity Prone’ Areas?
Section 21(2) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) (POA) Act, 1989 and Rule 3(1)(i) of the POA Rules, 1995 specifies the delineation of ‘Identified Areas’ (commonly known as ‘Atrocity Prone Areas’) where members of SC/ST are vulnerable to being subjected to atrocities and prescribes adoption of necessary measures to ensure their safety.
According to the data released by Ministry of Home Affairs, the state governments of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have identified the atrocity prone areas.
Across the country, followed by Tamil Nadu, Bihar has 34 districts identified as atrocity prone. The details of the villages in each district have not been specified.
States and Districts Identified As Atrocity Prone:
The villages in following districts of the given states have been identified as ‘Atrocity Prone’ by the state governments:
| States | Districts |
| Odisha (19) | Angul, Bolangir, Balasore, Bhadrak, Boudh, Cuttack, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Nuapada, Puri, Rourkela, Rayagada, Subarnapur, Bhubaneswar Urban Police district |
| Rajasthan (11) | Bharatpur, Shri Ganganagar, Tonk, Alwar, Ajmerl, Pali, Barmer, Hanumangarh, Sikar, Baran and Nagaur |
| Gujarat (11) | Mehsana, Ahmedabad Rural, Junagadh, Kutch, Banaskantha, Kheda, Amreli, Rajkot Rural, Surendranagar, Vadodara Rural and Bharuch |
| Madhya Pradesh (11) | Indore, Vidisha, Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Shivpuri, Ashoknagar, Narsinghpur, Hoshangabad, Harda and Betul |
| Jharkhand (10) | Giridih, Saraikela, Chatra, Khunti, Garhwa, Dumka, Chaibasa,Palamu, Lohardaga and Ranchi |
| Bihar (34) | Patna, Nalanda, Rohtas, Bhabhua, Bhojpur, Buxer, Gaya, Jehanabad, Nawada, Aurangabad, Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, West Champaran (Betia), West Champaran (Bagaha) East Champaran (Motihari), Vaishali, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Samastipur, Saharsa, Madhepura, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Sheikhpura, Begusarai, Khagaria, Katihar, Jamui and Araria |
Apart from these, Among the southern states, after Tamil Nadu, Telangana has the highest number of villages (66) in south India where Dalits and STs are vulnerable and subjected to atrocities. Andhra Pradesh has 53 villages, 3 districts in Karnataka including Bengaluru Urban.
Chhattisgarh has two districts in which 101 villages are atrocity prone. In Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, two areas are listed as atrocity prone.