Death penalty for offenders? Mamata Banerjee introduces anti-rape bill amid Kolkata outrage

New Delhi: The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government introduced the Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024 in the state assembly on Tuesday. The bill aims to amend central laws related to rape, gang-rape, and sexual assault, proposing severe penalties, including life imprisonment or the death penalty for offenders.

Key provisions behind the bill

The bill proposes that individuals convicted of rape or gang-rape be sentenced to life imprisonment or death. It also includes a provision for the death penalty if the victim's death or a vegetative state results from the assault. This legislative move comes in response to the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, which has sparked widespread protests.

#WATCH | Kolkata: At the West Bengal Assembly, CM Mamata Banerjee says, "...I had written two letters to the Prime Minister, but I did not get any reply from him, rather I got a reply from the Minister of Women and Child Development, but I also replied to his reply and informed… pic.twitter.com/XKmSOWDj3B

— ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2024

Call for immediate action

While presenting the bill, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, to press Governor CV Ananda Bose for swift approval. Banerjee emphasized the importance of closing gaps in existing central laws, stating, "Rape is a curse against humanity, social reforms are required to stop such crimes."

Banerjee further urged the opposition to support the bill, saying, "The opposition should ask the governor to sign the Bill, it is our responsibility to enact it after that. We want justice from CBI, death by hanging of the guilty."

#WestBengal Government to table The Aparajita Woman & Child (Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024 today in the #VidhanSabha.

Amendments seek death penalty for rapists & enhanced jail time for those sharing details of rape victims without authorisation, amongst others. pic.twitter.com/Z5CLZAbWak

— Sreyashi Dey (@SreyashiDey) September 3, 2024

Call for amendments

While the BJP has welcomed the bill, it emphasized that the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) already contains stringent provisions for crimes against women and children. Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari proposed seven amendments to the bill and called for its immediate implementation, stating, "We want results, it is the government's responsibility."

A two-day special session of the Assembly was convened amid the ongoing protests, with further discussions on the bill expected to continue.