The brutal killing of a minor student by three of his juvenile classmates inside a hostel at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar last week has sent shockwaves across Odisha. This horrific incident has sharply focused attention on two deeply concerning patterns in the state: a significant rise in offences against children and an alarming surge in crimes committed by minors themselves.
NCRB Data Reveals a Disturbing Upward Trend
Official statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) paint a grim picture. The data shows that crimes committed by juveniles in Odisha witnessed a sharp increase of 29.5% in 2023 compared to 2022. Simultaneously, offences targeting children registered a 4% rise during the same period.
This is not an isolated tragedy. The state has been rocked by two chilling murders within the past three months, both involving minors as perpetrators and victims. The recent case at KISS involved a 14-year-old Class IX student who was killed by three hostel mates on December 11. Prior to this, on September 2, a 12-year-old madrasa student in Nayagarh district was murdered by five of his classmates.
Breaking Down the Crime Patterns
A closer look at the NCRB figures for 2023 reveals specific trends. In cases of crimes against children, which totalled 8,577, the offence of kidnapping dominated. A massive 5,979 cases were related to abduction. Police sources indicate that a majority of these kidnapping cases stem from incidents of minor elopement.
The pattern for juvenile offences is equally revealing. Out of the 1,507 crimes committed by minors last year, nearly half—approximately 750 cases—were property-related crimes like theft and burglary. The statistics on detention are startling: of the 1,507 juvenile offenders detained in 2023, a staggering 1,400 belonged to the 5 to 10 years age bracket.
A senior police officer linked this trend to socio-economic factors, stating that in most instances, juvenile delinquents come from impoverished backgrounds, often residing in slums and having dropped out of school.
Root Causes and Corrective Measures
Child rights experts argue that systemic failure and neglect are primary drivers of this crisis. Prominent activist Anuradha Mohanty emphasised that "no child is a criminal by birth." She explained that adverse circumstances such as acute poverty, absence of parental guidance, and family discord push many children towards criminal activities. Children deprived of basic needs and care often resort to theft and other offences, highlighting the urgent need for behavioural education, care, and attention from both families and educational institutions.
In response, the Odisha Police have initiated several outreach programmes. Officers are being sent to schools and colleges to instil values of discipline, civic sense, empathy, and resistance to social evils among students. These programmes include interface activities to educate young people about the legal consequences of criminal behaviour. The police are also engaging students as volunteers to assist with traffic regulation, an initiative designed to steer vulnerable children away from crime and onto more constructive and positive paths.
