New Delhi, Aug. 10: Assam has earned the dubious distinction of being one of the top five states to have recorded the highest number of rape cases in the country. The state occupied the fifth place among the states during the previous year.

Union minister of state for home Manikrao Hodlya Gavit informed the Lok Sabha today that a total of 1,171 cases were registered in the state during 2004. The states that fared worse than Assam are Madhya Pradesh with 2,875 cases, followed by West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The minister, who was replying to a question by Gyan Prakash Pilania, pointed out that investigation and prevention of crime is a state subject but the Centre has been issuing ?advisories? to the state government to make ?concerted efforts? to check crimes against women.

One such intimation despatched last year urged the state governments to promptly register FIRs, sensitisation of police officials dealing with cases pertaining to women, setting up of helpline numbers and women police cells, recruitment of women police officials and counselling to victims.

Interestingly, the lowest cases of rape were also registered in the hill states of the region during 2004. While Sikkim had the least number of cases in the country with only three, Arunachal Pradesh had 42, Manipur recorded 31, Meghalaya had 59 and Mizoram and Nagaland registered 53 and 18 respectively. Tripura witnessed more at 160 cases of a total of 17,633 incidents in the country.

The home ministry also furnished details about the steps taken by Delhi police to tackle crimes against women from the Northeast.

Minister of state for home S. Reghupathy said in a written statement that the crimes against women cell had been strengthened and rape crisis intervention centres set up in the capital.