Crime is simply an act that violates a law. Every crime is a deviant act but not all deviants are criminals. Lunatics, alcoholics, homosexuals, cross-dressers, adulterers, and all liars are deviants but they are not criminals. Crime against persons and property is one of the most commonly reported types of crime. This includes vandalism, theft, robbery, assault, rape, fraud, embezzlement, murder, and a host of others. Generally speaking, we have also know that property crimes are much more common than violent crimes. However, in India, child labor, bonded labor, and feudal serfdom account for millions of people in servitude. There are literally millions of cases where destitute women, tribal, and children as young as six years old have worked for years under the most wretched conditions and are yet unable to pay off the measly Rs 100 which was advanced to them or their parents. Women and children are kidnapped, bought, and sold into prostitution. Child marriage, female infanticide, and dowry deaths are other typically Indian criminal phenomena. In all these cases, crime statistics are often not reliable. Many crimes go unreported. Victims of rape and spousal abuse often do not report such crimes and there are no reliable records of people in child and bonded labor.
Victimless crimes are another type of criminal behavior. Gambling, prostitution, illicit drug use, and public drunkenness are included in this category. Smuggling and black marketing may also be listed among victimless crimes. When the supply of desirable goods is limited black markets thrive. If these illegal operations become highly profitable, then organized crime syndicates are likely to step in. White-collar crimes are one of the most common crimes in India. They are committed by people of higher socio-economic status in the course of their business activities. Bribery, embezzlement, and adulteration are three common types. Adulteration of food is so rampant and extensive that it is almost a wondrous industry by itself. Pollution of air and water by factories, illegal dumping of toxic waste, sale of defective products, and consumer fraud are also white-collar crimes. Only those who are strategically located in their organizations (banks, government offices, or businesses) and have the opportunities and access to resources can engage in white-collar crimes. Politicians, government bureaucrats, bank officials, and business executives have opportunities for corruption and embezzlement. Contrary to public opinion, violent crimes are common in India. For years, homicide was considered an American phenomenon; the United States consistently recorded the highest murder rate in the world. However, since the fall of communism, Russia has surpassed the United States as the murder-nation of the world. Because of the unprecedented social upheaval following the breakthrough Soviet Union, homicide rates have dramatically increased in eastern European countries. Yet, even today, the United States has more cities known as the murder capitals of the world than any other country. In India, we often read horror stories about guns and violence in America. While it is true that America tops the list in terms of violence against individuals, India has the highest incidence of collective violence which includes political and communal violence, inter-caste conflicts, and massacres by death squads. Political violence includes assault on opposition parties, scare tactics, and the use of thugs and criminals to intimidate voters. The communal violence that occasionally flares up in different parts of the country sometimes claims thousands of victims. The massacre of Sikhs after the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the recent Hindu-Muslim carnage in Gujarat are cases in point. Even more poignant are the regular occurrences of cold-blooded murder and mayhem in villages in Bihar by the private armies of big landlords. Thugs and criminal gangs who make up the feudal militia with links to political elites roam the countryside and terrorize Dalits and landless laborers. Whereas underworld gang warfare and crime exist almost everywhere in the world, in India they seek to replace democratic institutions. In some states, a large percentage of legislators are convicted criminals and well-known thugs; yet people of India have no right to know about the antecedents of their representatives.
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- By HUB SOCIOLOGY
Very informative
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