Left-wing extremism cases include 5 murders and 6 attempted murders by Naxalites in 2023Nagpur: Maharashtra recorded a decline in cases categorised as ‘offences against the State’ in 2023, but witnessed a dramatic surge in environmental crimes, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. The State registered 169 offences against the State in 2023, down from 174 in 2022 and 218 in 2021, ranking seventh nationally. Maharashtra registered 4,854 cases in 2023, nearly double the 2,478 in 2022 and over four times the 1,094 recorded in 2021. However, the sharp increase highlights mounting challenges in ecological governance, pollution control, and lifestyle-driven offences. While Maharashtra has improved in curbing anti-State offences, the ballooning environmental crimes paint a worrying picture for the State’s sustainability and law enforcement priorities.