Since its inception in December 2021, the National Helpline Against Atrocities (NHAA) has received over 6.5 lakh calls concerning atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), with nearly half originating from Uttar Pradesh, according to official data. Despite the massive number of calls, only 7,135 complaints have been formally registered, and 4,314 have been resolved to date.
The helpline, which operates 24/7 in Hindi, English, and regional languages, was launched to support the enforcement of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Calls include reports of physical assaults, caste-based abuse, land encroachments, social boycotts, and police apathy. However, many of the calls are informational or lack the required details to be converted into actionable grievances.
Uttar Pradesh leads with 3,33,516 calls, but only 1,825 have resulted in formal complaints, and 1,515 of those have been resolved. Bihar and Rajasthan follow, though Maharashtra stands out for its inaction—registering 268 grievances but resolving none. Goa, by contrast, reported just a single grievance with no resolution.
States like Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Haryana, and Karnataka also saw substantial call volumes, but response and resolution varied widely. Haryana showed notable efficiency with 379 of 392 grievances resolved, while Madhya Pradesh recorded a low resolution rate—just 282 of 1,630 grievances.
Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar, who launched the helpline, aimed to ensure prompt justice for marginalized communities. The NHAA also includes a web portal and mobile app, offering features like grievance tracking, feedback, and a dashboard for state-level performance. Each complaint gets a docket number, and authorities are expected to follow up with FIR registration, relief, and prosecution.
The system is programmed to send automated alerts and reminders to enforce accountability while also raising awareness of legal rights under the SC/ST Act and the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955. Yet, the vast disparity in resolution rates across states highlights ongoing challenges in the fight against caste-based injustice in India.
