The IPC (The Indian Penal Code) has many sections to deal with cognisable and non-cognisable offenses and also some about attempts to commit offences. These crimes are grouped under various heads viz: offences affecting the human body, offences against property, offences relating to marriage, criminal breach of contracts of service, defamation, criminal intimidation, insult, and annoyance... to name a few.
If we analyse the factors leading to the committal of crimes, we will find that a flaw or a weakness in the character of the person has been responsible for his committing that crime. So, either the tendencies, the habits and the urge in a person compel him/her to commit a crime or the circumstances are tempting, alluring, provocative or enervating and he/she falls prey to them. He cannot control himself, cannot withstand the adverse circumstances and is thus carried away by his emotions.
Sometimes, he labours under some kind of misunderstanding and gets infuriated and loses his balance of mind and, sometimes, he thinks that the whole society consists of criminals— some small and others big—and if he also commits a crime then how does it matter? In other words, frustration or the vicious environment also instigate him to commit crime.
In addition to these, we find that, when a person sees that people give more respect to a rich person, howsoever dishonest, hypocrite and exploitative he might be and, on the other hand, they do not consider a poor or a middle-class man as worthy of respect even if that person be honest, sincere, truthful and of sterling character, then he also thinks of adopting a short cut to money or status even by grossly dishonest means.
Thus, the deformed and distorted value-system, prevalent in the society, also leads a person to crime by giving him a faulty outlook and wrong attitudes. Further, it is observed that it is the belief system of a person that determines his behaviour. So, if a person thinks that it is just, proper and wise to give a sound beating to a person who insults him or intimidates him, then he will always be prone to attack that person and will commit violence, conveniently forgetting the consequences. He will take the law in his hands because he believes that there is nothing wrong in taking revenge even if it is by violent means.
... To be continued
The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal and the UK. He can be contacted at nikunjji@gmail.com / www.brahmakumaris.com
