Rise in Delhi rape cases post-Dec 16: BJP

There has been a 240 percent increase in the number of rape cases in Delhi since the gruesome Dec 16, 2012 gang-rape and a 495 percent spurt in molestation cases, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Thursday.

Citing Delhi Police data, the state unit of the BJP said that from January to Aug 15, 2013, 1,036 rape cases have been reported from the city, as compared to 433 reported during the same period last year.

Similarly, 2,267 cases of molestation were reported in the first eight months of the year, as compared to 381 cases last year.

"It is ironical that in spite of the reprehensible rape incident last year, the cases of rape and molestation have increased in Delhi," BJP president Vijay Goel said.

Goel demanded that the Congress come out with an action taken report on the recommendations addressing the safety concerns of women put forward by the Justice Verma committee, set up after the brutal gang-rape.

"The Delhi government had promised to install CCTV cameras, GPS in all the city buses and also deploy home guards in these buses. But nothing much seems to have happened on the ground. The public transport in Delhi remains unsafe," Goel said.

Incidentally, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said Thursday, on the sidelines of a conference, that security for women in Delhi had improved since the gang-rape incident of Dec 16.

"Post-Dec 16, security for women in the city has become better, but it is a long haul, (the change) is not going to be overnight. But the awareness on the security of women has increased," Dikshit said.