The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for 2023, released on Tuesday, has cast a dark shadow over Chandigarh’s reputation as the “City Beautiful.” The report shows that the Union Territory’s crime rate has risen beyond the national average, exposing a troubling reality of rising violence, social stress and fragile justice delivery in a city often projected as one of India’s safest and most planned.
According to the NCRB, Chandigarh recorded 385 violent crimes in 2023, a rate of 31.2 per lakh population, marginally higher than the national average of 31.1. The offences included 19 murders, 124 cases of rape, 64 kidnappings and 14 dowry-related deaths. Property crimes were also widespread, with 1,892 thefts and 279 burglaries adding to the insecurity faced by residents. These numbers reveal that crime in Chandigarh is not an isolated problem but a persistent trend that has begun to push the city out of sync with its image of order and peace.
The suicide statistics are even more alarming. A total of 409 suicides were reported during 2023, translating to a suicide rate of 28.7 per lakh people, more than twice the national average of around 12.7. Nearly seven out of every ten victims were men. Mental health specialists point to a range of contributing factors — academic pressure among students, job insecurity faced by the young workforce, domestic strife within families, and the growing sense of isolation that accompanies urban life.
Experts caution that suicides on this scale represent not just individual tragedies but a public health emergency that the city has failed to confront adequately.
The report also highlights systemic flaws in law enforcement and justice delivery. Chandigarh’s chargesheeting rate stands at only 57.2 per cent, well below the national average of 74.1, reflecting weaknesses in investigation and evidence-gathering. Even when cases are brought to court, the conviction rate is a dismal 26 per cent. Legal experts say such gaps create an environment where offenders can reasonably expect to escape accountability, further weakening deterrence. For victims, the process often feels protracted and unresponsive, discouraging many from pursuing justice.
Women and children remain particularly vulnerable. In addition to the 124 rape cases, police registered 125 assaults on women, while minors were victims in crimes ranging from trafficking and kidnapping to foeticide and infanticide. These figures suggest that the most vulnerable sections of society continue to bear the brunt of both social violence and systemic neglect. At the same time, cybercrime and financial frauds are steadily climbing, with criminals taking advantage of the city’s increasing digital exposure. The NCRB report notes that such offences, once peripheral, now form a significant share of registered cases in urban centres like Chandigarh.
Security analysts and criminologists believe the figures point to a larger pattern: a city struggling to reconcile its planned infrastructure with the growing challenges of urbanisation, migration, and social change. The stresses of modern city life, they argue, are colliding with institutional shortcomings in policing, prosecution, and mental health support. Without urgent reforms, Chandigarh risks carrying a dual identity — a city of modern architecture and greenery on the outside, but one grappling with deep social and safety crises within.
Experts say the NCRB data is a warning bell. They caution that Chandigarh’s proud status as the “City Beautiful” could be overshadowed by its rising crime curve unless the city strengthens investigations, modernises its policing, creates more responsive support systems for women and children, and invests in robust mental health infrastructure. For now, the 2023 statistics stand as a sobering reminder that Chandigarh’s beauty must be measured not only in its landscape and design but also in the safety and well-being of its citizens.