Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) recorded the second-lowest murder rate among all Indian states and Union territories in 2023, with fewer than one case per one lakh population, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The Union Territory also saw a decline of over 38% in murder cases over the past two years.
The 2023 data shows a murder rate of 0.6 per one lakh population in J&K, lower than all 28 states and six Union territories, with only Lakshadweep reporting a lower rate of zero. The average murder rate in Union territories was 1.7, while the national rate stood at 2. Delhi recorded the highest rate among Union territories at 2.4, and Manipur topped the states’ chart at 4.7.
In terms of numbers, J&K reported 136 murders in 2021, dropping to 99 in 2022 and 84 in 2023—a 38.23% decrease. Among the eight Union territories reporting murders, J&K ranked second, behind Delhi’s 506 cases, while Lakshadweep had none. Nationwide, there were 27,721 murder cases in 2023, with six states reporting fewer cases than J&K.
Of the 101 murder victims in J&K, 98 were adults and three were children, including 86 males and 15 females. Two victims were below six years old, and one female was aged 12–16. There were no victims aged 16–18, while 41 victims (36 males, 5 females) were aged 18–30.
The motives included personal enmity (23 cases), disputes (28 cases), extremism or insurgency (8 cases), and love affairs (6 cases). No murders were reported related to dowry, politics, honour killings, witchcraft, human sacrifice, communal or religious conflicts, or casteism. Seven cases had unknown motives, classified as blind murders.
However, J&K lagged in investigations, recording the lowest chargesheeting rate among Union territories at 72%, below the national average of 85.7%. Seven states had higher rates, while Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Ladakh, and Lakshadweep reported a 100% chargesheeting rate.
J&K also recorded the second-highest number of kidnapping or abduction cases among Union territories in 2023. After 1,013 cases in 2021 and 1,046 in 2022, the number slightly fell to 1,004 in 2023. Delhi reported the highest number at 5,715, while Lakshadweep had none, and Ladakh registered five.
The abduction rate in J&K was 7.4 per one lakh population, above five Union territories but below Delhi (26.6) and Chandigarh (13), and slightly under the national average of 8.2. Chargesheeting in abduction cases stood at 30.6%, better than most Union territories; Delhi recorded only 6.6%, and Ladakh 28.6%, against an all-India rate of 37%.
Among abduction victims, 502 were children (419 females) and 508 adults (492 females). By the end of 2023, 798 victims—52 males and 746 females—remained untraced, the second-highest figure among Union territories and higher than 14 states.
