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The snowballing diplomatic standoff between New Delhi and Ottawa, stemming from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of India’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in his country led to the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday issuing a strongly-worded advisory to Indian nationals in Canada, warning against “anti-India activities” and “politically-condoned hate crimes”.
Many media outlets called the Indian advisory a tit-for-tat move against the updated travel advisory issued by Canada a day earlier when it urged its citizens to exercise a “high degree of caution” while travelling to India, citing a terrorism threat. The Canadians though said that an advisory on Jammu and Kashmir was already in place at least since July 2021.
However, the said clash of advisories also brought the spotlight on the India section of the official Government of Canada travel information and advice webpage.
Even a brief examination of the page might lead any traveller bound for India to believe they are heading to a place devoid of law and order. The information about India presented there seems to border on fear-mongering, potentially instilling unwarranted apprehensions in the minds of travellers, and projecting an inaccurate image of the country.
Women’s safety
On the issue of ‘Women’s safety,’ the website states that “Crimes committed against women frequently occur in India”, and further notes that “Foreign women are often the target of unwanted attention”.
In a cautionary tone, the website states, “Local authorities may not always respond adequately to reports of sexual violence and harassment,” in a way alleging that when individuals report incidents of sexual violence or harassment to law enforcement authorities, the response or action taken by these authorities may not be sufficient, effective, or appropriate.
While it doesn’t provide any specific numbers or figures to substantiate its claim or explain why the situation in India is worse than in Canada, a closer examination of the latest available data from both countries tells a different story.
Let’s consider the example of ‘sexual assault’ cases. According to Statistics Canada, the country’s national statistical office, “Overall, there were 34,242 police-reported sexual assaults (levels 1, 2, and 3) in 2021, representing 90 incidents per 100,000 population.”
While level 1 sexual assault involves violations of the victim’s sexual integrity, level 3 is classified as ‘Aggravated’, involving sexual assault that causes severe harm, such as wounding, maiming, disfigurement, or endangerment of the victim’s life.
In India, according to NCRB data for the same year (2021), 31,677 rape cases were reported. The expanded definition of rape, adopted after the Nirbhaya case, now covers a wide range of aspects of this heinous crime.
Further, in a rather disparaging tone, the advisory mentions: “Staring, verbal abuse, groping, and other forms of sexual harassment can occur anywhere, including in tourist sites and areas. Attackers sometimes act as a group. Reports of rape and assault against foreign women have increased.”
The travel guideline also advises Canadians in India to exercise heightened vigilance, especially in the national capital, Delhi, as well as in Goa and at “Yoga centers, ashrams, and other places of spiritual retreats”. However, many may wonder why there is a need for increased caution in locations where people typically go for mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
Crimes against foreigners
No doubt crime against anyone including foreigners is shameful for any country, but the fact is that crimes against foreigners are coming down drastically in India. In 2018, there were 517 cases of crimes against foreigners, which came down to 150 in 2021. In 2010, a total of 1,204 cases were recorded under The Foreigners Act, 1946. Contrary to the claim, cases of rape against foreign women have also declined from 27 in 2018 to 14 in 2021, according to NCRB data.
Under the ‘Crime’ subheading, the advisory states: “Petty crime, such as pickpocketing and purse snatching, is common. Criminals may target foreigners, especially in major cities and tourist areas,” and also mentions that “Petty crime frequently occurs on public transportation and overnight trains.”
In fact, when comparing overall crime rates per lakh population, Canada is actually ranked worse. While in India, the crime rate per lakh people was 445.9 in 2021, according to NCRB data, in Canada, the ‘Police-reported crime rate’ per lakh population, as reported by Statistics Canada for the same year, was 5,375, nearly 12 times higher.
Since crime tends to rise alongside population growth, evaluating the rate per lakh population can provide a more accurate indicator of changes in crime levels.
Even in the case of the most heinous crimes, such as murder, Canada and India scored almost equally on the notoriety scale when measured in terms of murders per one lakh population.
“Police reported 788 homicides (murder) in 2021, 29 more than the year before. The homicide rate increased 3%, from 2.00 homicides per 100,000 population in 2020 to 2.06 in 2021,” Statistics Canada reported.
In India, there were 29,272 murder cases reported in the same year, equating to 2.14 murders per one lakh population, based on calculations using NCRB data.
“In 2021, Canada saw continued increases in the rates of various criminally harassing and threatening behaviours. In particular, criminal harassment (+10% in the rate per 100,000 population; 27,055 incidents), non-consensual distribution of intimate images (+8%; 2,444 incidents), indecent or harassing communications (+4%; 27,370 incidents) and uttering threats (+3%; 87,701 incidents) all rose compared with 2020,” Statistics Canada report further added, expressing concern about this trend.
Road safety
Regarding ‘road safety,’ Canadian travel advice states, “Road conditions and road safety are poor throughout the country (India). Most roads, including major highways, are poorly maintained.’”
While road accidents and resulting fatalities in India are a cause for concern, it’s important to note that this issue is not unique to India but applies to many countries around the world.
In fact, a comprehensive comparison of road safety and traffic data from both countries reveals that the situation in Canada is actually worse than in India when it comes to road accidents.
According to the World Road Statistics (WRS) for 2020, Canada recorded a total of 110,114 accidents in 2018, whereas India witnessed 432,957 crashes in the same year. The choice of the year 2018 as a reference is based on the availability of comparable data in the public domain.
A direct comparison of the numbers indicates that India had about four times as many accidents as Canada in 2018. However, a more meaningful calculation shows that Canada had 297 road accidents per 100,000 people compared to just 32 in India.
In fact, India’s accident rate of 32 per 100,000 people was significantly lower than that of the USA (590) and Japan (340).
When considering road accidents per kilometre, India still holds an advantage. Canada experienced approximately one accident per 10 kilometres of roads, whereas India had one accident every 15 kilometres. This means that Indian roads were approximately 33.33% safer in terms of accidents per kilometre.
Notably, India has the second-largest road network globally, spanning about 6.3 million kilometres, while Canada’s public road network is slightly over 1.13 million kilometres.
“(In India) Drivers often disregard traffic laws, and they can be aggressive or reckless. Fatal road accidents are frequent. They can sometimes lead to public anger and assaults,” the Canadian travel advisory further highlights.
In reality, road rage incidents occur in India, as they do in Canada and elsewhere. Therefore, many argue that such scaremongering is unwarranted and paints a negative image of a country known for its warm hospitality and belief in the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which means “The World Is One Family”.
Further, according to a survey published in Canada last year, half of the respondents admitted to being guilty of road rage. The poll, conducted by Leger on behalf of RATESDOTCA, revealed that 51% of Canadians have engaged in road-rage behaviours, while 78% have witnessed such behaviours. Quite a spectacle in a country that often touts its etiquette and manners to the world.
Citing the Ontario Provincial Police, news reports revealed a troubling 31% increase in fatal motor vehicle accidents due to speeding and aggressive driving in 2021, with fatalities rising from 62 in 2020 to 81 in 2021 in the heart of the Canadian province.
In August 2018, the shooting of a German tourist near Calgary, possibly a ‘road rage’ case, made international headlines. However, later, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police claimed it was a case of mistaken identity.
In June this year, as reported by CBC News, a judge found a 79-year-old man from the Moncton area guilty of a road rage assault, which involved flicking blood on the victim and making a racist remark.
And this anger spilling onto Canadian roads is certainly not a new phenomenon, as reported. Back in the year 2000, a study conducted by K Michelle Scott and published in the US Tabula Rasa Institute’s Online Journal for Peace and Conflict Resolution explicitly identified the country.
“In fact, my findings, which are based largely on the analysis of 33 newspaper and magazine reports covering a three-year period from June 1997 to July 2000, suggest that road rage is more frequent in Britain, Canada, and the United States than in other countries,” Scott wrote. The author cited an example of a Canadian van driver who was run over by a pickup truck during the truck driver’s fit of road rage in Mississauga to back the assessment.
Rail safety
The controversial advisory also raises concerns about the safety and passenger security standards of the Indian Railways. “Rail accidents are common, mostly due to poor maintenance. Thefts are frequent on certain train lines,” it states.
The recent triple-train collision in Odisha, which tragically resulted in the deaths of nearly 275 people, undoubtedly raised questions about railway safety. However, it’s worth noting that over the past few years, the Indian Railways has experienced an overall downward trend in consequential rail accidents
The assertion that rail accidents are “common” in India is, quite frankly, an exaggeration. According to government data for the years 2019-20 and 2020-21, there were zero passenger fatalities recorded despite 54 and 21 accidents, respectively.
While any loss of life is tragic, one must consider the sheer vastness of the Indian Railways network before hastily drawing conclusions.
Furthermore, several key safety indicators have shown positive trends in the available data. Train Accidents Per Million Train Kilometres decreased from 0.28 in 2005 to 0.3 in 2020-21. Casualties Per Million Passengers Carried also dropped from 0.07 in 2016-17 to 0.03 in 2020-21.
These achievements result from a series of challenging measures taken by the Railways to enhance the safety of the world’s fourth-largest railway network, the largest in Asia, given its immense size.
In fact, Indian Railways goes all out to ensure that foreign guests enjoy and explore most parts of India with the utmost comfort and safety the system can offer.
On the contrary, Canada’s rail safety record raises significant concerns. In 2022, a total of 995 rail accidents were reported to the country’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB), representing an increase from the 2021 total of 898.
Many other critical safety parameters of the Canadian Railways also witnessed a deterioration. Rail fatalities reached 66 in 2022, up from 60 recorded in 2021. Main-track accidents numbered 225 in 2022, an increase from 213 in 2021. Furthermore, there were 57 serious injuries resulting from rail incidents in 2022, compared to 52 in 2021. Notably, the number of main-track collisions surged to 8 in 2022, compared to the 3 reported a year earlier, according to TSB data.
Furthermore, in a 2022 report, the TSB identified deficiencies in safety practices and noted that employees often worked to the point of exhaustion.
Canada should recognise that India’s population is immense. It is the most populous country globally and is home to 35 times as many people as Canada. Outdated colonial stereotypes about India, such as it being the land of snake charmers, no longer hold true. The world is changing, and India too is evolving with time. Canada must adapt its approach to sync with global norms while giving up the White Saviour Complex.
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