Murders in Delhi
2013
Illegal arms used in most murders
Raj Shekhar New Delhi
TNN
The Times of India Jul 02 2014
Unlicensed weapons were used in most murders committed by firearms in the city in 2013. As many as 53 murders were committed with illegally obtained guns while licensed firearms were used in only nine killings. Guns were used to kill 62 people last year, while many others were strangled, stabbed, smothered, burnt and bludgeoned.
Delhi Police claims to be doing its best to control the influx of firearms into the capital. In 2013, Delhi Police seized 688 illegal guns, including a carbine, 1,251 cartridges, 198 magazines and 487 bladed weapons. About 20 pistols were seized on three occasions along with a major haul of 99 arms. Analysis of data released by National Crime Records Bureau shows that 10% of murder victims in 2013 were below 18 years of age. Of 530 people killed in Delhi in 2013, 49 were minors and 14 of these minors were girls.
About 23% of the victims were women. Analysis of the data reveals that most of them--101 of 122--were between 18 and 50 years. The elderly remained vulnerable as 45 people over 50 years old were murdered in 2013. There were 38 men and seven women in this age group.
Twenty children below 10 were murdered. Of them, five were girls. There were eight murders in the age group of 1015 years of whom only one was a girl. A total of 21 murders were reported in the age group of 15-18 years. Eight were women victims.
Women aged 18-30 years are the most vulnerable as a considerable chunk of victims belong to this group. Of 274 murdered in this age group, 51 were women. But the next age group of 30-50 years is equally vulnerable--with 50 women among 162 murder victims.
Overall, murders--the prime indicator of crime in a city--went down in 2013--530 against 540 people killed in 2012. Shockingly , 20% of the deaths had petty reasons or were caused due to sudden provocation. These figures have unfortunately remained static over the last few years.
In the last two years, Delhiites shed blood over talking loudly , not reducing television volume, not giving someone Rs 20, first rights to a parantha and being reprimanded for urinating at a person's doorstep. Bullets flew over tying a goat in front of somebody's house, not playing music of one's choice at a pub, playing gilli-danda, refusal to serve papad past closing time and a dog that barked too loudly .
A man killed his sister-inlaw because she hadn't washed his shirt, another died for refusing his slayer a glass of water and a double murder took place over placing a ladder two years ago. Add to these deaths the accidents caused by celebratory fire at marriage processions and murders triggered by road rage and you might just conclude that the capital is an unsafe place to live in.
