VISAKHAPATNAM: Andhra Pradesh ranks 5th in cases registered against police personnel in various states and union territories of the country, according to a report released on Crime in India 2021 by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The number of police cases registered against police in AP is 185 in 2021, compared to 261 the previous year, a decrease of 29 percent, compared to 2020.
Bihar tops the NCRB list, with 4,062 cases against its police in 2021, followed by Maharashtra with 448 cases, Rajasthan 245, Gujarat 209 and Andhra Pradesh 185 cases.
Out of the 185 cases in AP, 61 cases have been charge-sheeted, 103 personnel arrested and trials completed against 12 persons. Final reports have been submitted in 18 cases and 11 cases have been withdrawn.
However, there have been zero convictions. Acquittal rate stood at 100 percent in all 12 cases disposed of by courts.
NCRB data reveals that 26 cases have been registered for human rights violations by AP police during 2021. Of these, six cases pertain to encounters, seven custodial deaths, three torture / causing hurt / injury and two cases of extortion.
A dubious distinction of Andhra Pradesh is it ranks third in custodial deaths in 2021, after Gujarat and Maharashtra. Total six persons died in police custody, five of them remand prisoners. A magisterial inquiry had been ordered in three cases.
Of late, AP police have been coming under criticism for suppressing opposition parties in various parts of the state, the NCRB report stated.
