Is Chennai really safe or at least safer than other metros?
According to statistics available with the National Crime Records Bureau, the city records fewer instances of rapes, compared to New Delhi or Mumbai.
The recent months, however, have witnessed a spurt in incidents of violence against women, especially the elderly living alone at home.
According to advocate D. Nagasaila, the numbers are low in Tamil Nadu because the police often do not file first-information reports (FIRs).
“They only take down the complaint in the community service register (CSR) meant for non-cognisable offences. Many cases are closed at the CSR stage itself,” she says.
Unless there is a foolproof method of filing FIRs, maybe online, for instance, it will not be possible for all complaints to be registered.
The crime statistics cannot be relied upon as they do not give the true picture, she says.
