The Chief Minister's Office of Rajasthan announced on Wednesday, 22 July 2026 that atrocity cases against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have seen a notable decline over the past two-and-a-half years, attributing the trend to steps taken by the state government under Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma. The post, shared on the official CMO account and tagging @BhajanlalBjp, stated in Hindi: 'राज्य सरकार द्वारा, गत ढाई वर्षों में उठाए गए कदमों के कारण, अनुसूचित जाति और जनजातियों के विरुद्ध अत्याचार के प्रकरणों में, उल्लेखनीय कमी आई है' — translating to: 'Due to steps taken by the state government over the past two-and-a-half years, there has been a notable reduction in cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Tribes.' The message was tagged under the hashtag #आपणो_अग्रणी_राजस्थान ('Our Leading Rajasthan'), a campaign phrase used by the current administration.

Context

Rajasthan has historically recorded among the higher volumes of SC/ST atrocity cases in India, a pattern tracked annually through state police data and national crime statistics. The BJP government, which came to power in December 2023 after winning the state assembly elections, had included improved law and order as a central plank of its campaign platform. The two-and-a-half year mark referenced in the post corresponds to the period from that electoral victory through mid-2026.

Policy Backdrop

The primary legal framework governing such cases is the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, originally enacted in 1989 and significantly strengthened by amendments in 2015 and 2018. The amendments expanded the list of cognisable offences, mandated dedicated special courts for faster trials, and tightened procedural safeguards for victims. State governments are responsible for operationalising these provisions through police enforcement, special public prosecutors, and district-level relief mechanisms. The Rajasthan administration's claim of reduced cases would typically be grounded in state police First Information Report (FIR) data compiled for submission to national crime reporting authorities.

Stakeholders and Impact

Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities form a significant share of Rajasthan's population, and trends in atrocity cases directly affect their access to justice, livelihood security, and social safety. Civil society groups and community organisations working on Dalit and Adivasi rights routinely monitor such data to assess whether reductions reflect genuine improvements in safety or changes in reporting behaviour. The government's public communication of this trend signals its intent to position law-and-order gains as a welfare achievement ahead of future legislative and budget discussions.

What's Next

The next authoritative data point will come with the release of the national Crime in India report covering the relevant period, which will include district-wise SC/ST atrocity figures for Rajasthan. That data will allow independent verification of the trend cited by the CMO. Observers will also watch for references to new SC/ST protection measures or dedicated budget allocations in the upcoming Rajasthan assembly session, which could indicate the specific policy steps the government credits for the reported decline.