Problem Statement: Crime has always been one of the larger problems in India, especially since it is the second most populous country in the world. Also, some of the cultural peculiarities - sex being a taboo in India, the skewed sex ratio, age-old customs like Sati and Dowry and the lower status women hold in society - cause women to be at higher risk than usual. There is also lack of awareness, inadequate infrastructure and insufficient programs in place for their safety and protection. The problem is most severe in rural areas, but some urban areas like Tier 1 cities, and surprisingly, even the capital, are recognized as high risk zones. In recent times, this has become a matter of great concern after a series of very brutal crimes against young girls have been reported and have made international headlines over the past few years. Safety of women has suddenly become a national priority and is even playing an influential role in the upcoming central elections. These motivations compel us to analyze crime data from India with the goal of gaining an insight into the nature and depth of the problem.
Open data sets: The plan is to work with Crime Data from India, as provided by data.gov.in. This might need integration with other data, possibly related to infrastructure, etc. to analyze possible causal relationships. If any insufficiencies arise, we might consider World Bank Indicators, or even just use that for cross-validation.
Tools: IPython