Knife attacks rise cuts down safety, attempt to murder cases up by 200%

Bhopal: The city has witnessed a sudden surge in knife attack incidents this year, with seven such cases reported in the past three days alone, including a road rage-related assault in Kotwali area involving three unidentified miscreants.

According to police data, cases of attempt to murder registered between Jan 1 and April 30 this year increased by nearly 200% compared to the corresponding period in 2025. 60 attempt to murder cases were registered in 2025 during the period as compared to 20 cases registered in 2025 and 21 cases reported in 2024.

Police officials said a majority of these cases involved knife attacks. Officials added that there has also been a rise in cases registered under attempt to commit culpable homicide, many of which too involved assaults using sharp-edged weapons.

This month alone, around 20 cases of attempt to murder and 21 cases of attempt to commit culpable homicide were registered. Police said frequent disputes over trivial issues, old rivalries and rising aggression among youths are emerging as common triggers behind such attacks.

Senior police officials said that while most knife attacks and violent assaults are committed by known criminals and habitual offenders, several recent cases have also involved first-time offenders with no prior criminal record. Officials added that the involvement of minors in violent assaults has also emerged as a matter of concern in recent cases reported across the city.

Senior officers said many youngsters attempt to project a “bold” image among their peer groups and sometimes resort to violent acts to establish dominance. Officials maintained that the growing tendency of youths to indulge in violent behaviour over trivial issues has become a serious concern.

Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar said police are dealing strictly with every knife attack incident reported in the city and registering cases under stringent sections to create fear among offenders.

“Whenever any incident of knife attack takes place, we treat it very seriously and take strict legal action. The rise in crime registration figures is mainly because we are taking tougher action against such offenders and registering serious offences against them,” he said.

He said the focus of police was not merely on crime statistics but on curbing such offences completely. “Our concern is to eliminate such crimes. Therefore, we invoke the strictest possible sections so that criminals develop fear of law,” Kumar said.

Police are also strengthening their intelligence network to gather more information about habitual knife-wielding offenders. The commissioner said helpline numbers and QR codes are being circulated and displayed publicly to encourage citizens to share information about anti-social elements.

The commissioner added that regular checking of habitual offenders is being conducted and preventive measures such as bound-over proceedings and district externment actions are also being initiated to maintain control over such crimes.