Himachal Reports 1,011 Rape Cases and 248 Murders in Three Years, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Tells Assembly

Himachal Recorded 1,011 Rape Cases and 248 Murders in Three Years: CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly session on Friday delivered a series of unsettling revelations, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presenting data that highlights a worrying rise in serious crimes and disaster-related deaths in recent years.
Addressing the House at Tapovan, the Chief Minister, who also oversees the Home Department, shared a written response confirming that the state registered 1,011 rape cases and 248 murders over the past three years.

A Disturbing Crime Ledger

Responding to BJP MLA Surinder Shourie, the Chief Minister said that a total of 1,462 serious crimes were reported during this period. These include 1,011 rapes, 248 murders and 203 suicides, indicating persistent law-and-order concerns in multiple districts.
Sukhu added that investigations in 1,313 cases have been completed, while 149 remain pending. Of these, 148 cases are being investigated by the Himachal Pradesh Police. The remaining case—related to the mysterious death of Vimal Negi, whose body was recovered from the Bhakhra Dam on 18 March—is under CBI investigation, following a High Court directive issued on a petition filed by Negi’s wife.

Rising Deaths in the Hills Due to Natural Disasters

Offering another grim statistic, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi informed the Assembly that between the past two and a half years and 31 October 2025, as many as 4,468 people in the state lost their lives due to various natural disasters.
In response to a question by Paonta Sahib BJP MLA Sukh Ram Chaudhary, he said disaster relief has been provided to 4,112 affected families, while 356 cases are still pending—primarily due to incomplete paperwork at the local administrative level. He assured legislators that district authorities are working to clear all pending files and that eligible families will receive compensation as soon as formalities are completed.

Disaster Relief: Funding Gaps and Expenditure

Responding to related questions from Congress MLAs Kewal Singh Pathania and Kuldeep Singh Rathore and BJP MLAs Deep Raj and Jeet Ram Katwal, the Revenue Minister stated that although the Centre had announced a ₹1,500 crore disaster relief package, the funds have not yet been released to the state.
He noted that over the past three years, the Centre has released ₹3,451.43 crore, while the state government has contributed ₹769.82 crore towards disaster management. Out of the total ₹3,686.10 crore available, the government has spent ₹3,345.02 crore up to 31 October, leaving ₹341.08 crore unspent.

Education Board Still Awaiting Payments

BJP MLA Inder Dutt Lakhanpal raised concerns over pending payments to the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board for printing free textbooks supplied to government schools.
Education Minister Rohit Thakur clarified that the Board has printed textbooks worth ₹154.41 crore over the past three years. The Education Department has released ₹98.67 crore so far, while ₹55.73 crore remains unpaid. Thakur assured the House that the outstanding amount will be cleared once budgetary provisions are made, adding that all payments are being processed in accordance with financial rules.