2,455 cases of atrocities against SCs, STs in Chhattisgarh since 2023 with nearly 40% instances of rape: government data

More than 2,400 cases under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 were registered in Chhattisgarh between January 1, 2023 and February 16 this year, the State government told the Assembly on Thursday (March 12, 2026).

Nearly 41% of the total 2,455 cases (1,013 cases) are of rape and the list also includes 73 murders, a break-up of the data revealed.

During the Question Hour, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Punnulal Mohle asked how many and what types of cases were registered in the State under the Act from 2023 till February 2026. He also asked about the number of cases in which the challan had been presented in the court till the same date and how many cases were pending for investigation. He also asked for a district-wise break-up.

Responding to the query, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also handles the Home portfolio, provided the data that included primary offences under various heads. Apart from rapes and murders, there were 380 cases of causing hurt, 60 cases of causing grievous hurt and 30 cases of abduction.

District-wise, Janjgir Champa recorded the maximum cases i.e. 168, followed closely by Balrampur with 165 cases. In total, in eight of the 33 districts of the State, over 100 cases under provisions of the SC/ST Act were registered in this period.

Challans submitted

In as many as 2,269 cases, challans were submitted in the court while the investigation was pending in 166 cases. In 20 instances, the cases were either dismissed or a closure report had been filed.

Since 2017, cases of SCs denied access to public spaces on the rise with lion’s share in U.P.

Mr. Mohle in a sub-query had also asked if there was a provision for compensation to the victims under the Act and in how many cases till February 16, the compensation had been paid. He also sought information on the compensation being paid and asked in how many cases the action for providing the money was ongoing/pending.

In reply, the Deputy Chief Minister confirmed that there was indeed a provision for compensation and the amount was paid in 1,647 cases till February 16 with the total compensation working out to over ₹28 crore. In 670 cases, he added, the compensation was awaiting clearance from the tribal development committee.