As Bihar assembly polls near, Congress cites NCRB report to target BJP over soaring crimes against Dalits, Adivasis
The Congress party has seized upon the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report to target the BJP over its alleged failure to protect backward communities, weeks before the Bihar assembly elections. The report highlights a sharp rise in crimes against marginalised groups, with offences against Dalits increasing by 46 per cent and those against Adivasis rising by 91 per cent in the 10-year period from 2013 to 2023.
National president of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge took to the social media to point out recent instances of discrimination against backward castes. Kharge wrote, "From caste discrimination against an IPS officer in Haryana, the harassment of Hariom Valmiki, the attack on the Chief Justice of India and attempts by BJP leaders to justify it, to the atrocity against Kamla Devi Raigar, an elderly Dalit woman in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan. These are not isolated incidents. They are alarming reflections of the feudal and regressive mindset nurtured by the RSS–BJP ideology."
However, the party has taken up the data a week after its release, soon after BSP chief Mayawati publicly expressed gratitude to the incumbent BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. An analyst observed, “Just ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, Mayawati’s praise for the BJP could be seen as a soft endorsement, a signal to Dalit voters that they can back the saffron camp. The Congress may have highlighted the NCRB report precisely to counter that narrative and reclaim the Dalit discourse.”
By issuing the statement targeting the BJP, party insiders also believe Kharge has sought to draw the Congress rank and file’s attention to the rising atrocities against Dalits, an issue that can be politically leveraged during the elections to counter the BJP’s outreach and prevent Dalit voters from drifting towards the NDA.
Kharge described the trend as part of a “continuing pattern” that he said represents a direct assault on the Constitution of India and the core principles of social justice and equality. “The politics of intimidation and suppression of Dalits, backward classes, Adivasis, and marginalised groups poses a grave threat to democracy. India will be governed by its Constitution, not by the diktats of any extremist ideology,” he said.
Notably, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had picked up the data a week back. Citing the NCRB data, he targeted the ruling-BJP in Uttar Pradesh over the increasing number of crimes against Dalits. Sharing a graphic on X, captioned as "Daliton pe apradh mein UP No. 1 (UP no. 1 in crimes against Dalits)", Yadav pointed out that Uttar Pradesh topped the list in crimes against Dalits with 15,130 cases, followed by Rajasthan (8,449) and Madhya Pradesh (8,232).
Yet, a section of experts believes that the spike in cases may also reflect a more accessible and responsive policing system, where victims—especially from marginalised communities—now feel more empowered to approach the police and register complaints.
India