The political back-and-forth over the rape and killing of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar hospital remained on track as Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju responded to the anti-rape bill unanimously passed in the West Bengal legislative assembly on Tuesday (September). 3).
Rijiju said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee – by introducing the ‘Women and Children (West Bengal Criminal Law and Amendment) Bill 2024’ – has turned the death of the woman doctor into a “political issue” due to her “failure to act” to prevent crime in the country. first.
According to him, in 2018, Parliament passed “a strict law to deal with heinous crimes like rape” which seeks to establish a special court (FTSC) quickly to speed up trials and dispose of rape cases and the POCSO Act. He said that the Trinamool Congress government, despite several communications in 2019, 2020 and 2021, failed to approve this centrally sponsored scheme under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018.
“This is a very serious matter. Please don’t turn it into a political issue. Strong laws are necessary but strong action is more important. When the letter was written, the media was already spreading this news, but the West Bengal Government failed to act! said in a media post social, along with the letter.
This is a very serious matter. Please don’t make it a political issue. Strong laws are very necessary but strong actions are more important. When the letter was written, the media had spread this news, but the Government of West Bengal failed to act! https://t.co/dtmidg4pP6 — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 4, 2024
An undated letter from Rijiju to Banerjee stated that as per the Supreme Court directive, “one exclusive POCSO court (ePOCSO) should be set up in any district where there are more than 100 POCSO-related cases”. He said 123 fast track courts, including 20 ePOCSO courts, were designated for West Bengal. Therefore, to that effect, communications were sent on December 12, 2019, March 16, 2020, July 16, 2020, February 19, 2021, requesting the intervention of the state government.
“I am saddened that the Chief Minister of West Bengal is ignoring the most sacred duty of providing speedy Justice to women and children. This letter of 2021 clearly shows. In 2018, strict laws were passed – Parliament to deal with heinous crimes like Rape .. The state government must act! he wrote in another post on X.
But during her address at the meeting, Banerjee refuted the BJP’s allegations of the state government not utilizing Nirbhaya funds. He said the country ranks third in terms of number of fast track courts in India.
“Earlier, the Center gave funds to set up speedy courts. We have 88 such courts, of which 52 are for women. We have 3.92 lakh cases running while 3.11 lakh cases are disposed of,” he said.
‘The only solution… step back and make way for an administrator who can’
Rijiju’s statement came after a tension-filled meeting session in which opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari strongly criticized the state government’s efforts to “wash its eyes” and divert attention from the unrest caused by the RG Kar rape-murder case. As well as demanding Banerjee’s resignation, the BJP still gave its full support to the bill. However, the proposed amendment to the law – moved by Adhikari – was not accepted.
Later in a post on social media, she said that the Mamata Banerjee-led government, instead of providing safer workplaces for women, is trying to reduce night working hours through one of the provisions of the law.
He said Banerjee should resign as home minister for “admitting on the floor of the West Bengal legislative assembly that working women are not safe at night in West Bengal”.
“Earlier, your chief adviser Alapan Bandyopadhyay announced from Nabanna. Today you gave your consent by admitting that you will limit the working hours of women at night, because your government has failed to provide a safe working environment for women working at night,” he said in X .
Home Minister Mamata Banerjee, you should resign for admitting on the floor of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly that Working Women are not safe at night in West Bengal. Earlier, your chief advisor Alapan Bandyopadhyay announced from Nabanna. Today you agree… pic.twitter.com/rAfwtsNbA0
— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) September 3, 2024
He added: “Now the question is what will happen to the female patients who are hospitalized at night? Who will see them? What about safety and dignity? The only solution to this problem is that you have to step back and give way for the administrator to be able.
The comments came after the chief minister, in a post on X, termed the Aparajita bill as “historic” and one of the “related issues due to gaps in the existing criminal law”.
“A society that cannot guarantee the safety of women will not be ideal. Today, the GoWB passed the historic Aparajita anti-rape bill to address the issues related to the gaps in the existing criminal law. Let’s all unite and tackle this menace together! “
A society that cannot guarantee the safety of women cannot be ideal. Today, the GoWB passed the historic Aparajita anti-rape bill to address related issues caused by gaps in the existing criminal law.
Let’s all unite and tackle this threat together!
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 3, 2024
Earlier on the floor of the house, he said it was “emotional” when law minister Moloy Ghatak introduced the legislation. Calling it “historic and exemplary”, he said he was happy that it was placed on September 3 because the UN also created a committee on discrimination against women on this day in 1981.
“This is a model and a historic Bill, I support this. This Assembly and others outside, thank you all. This is a Bill to protect women and when I say this, I am emotional. September 3 is a historic day. The United Nations- The nation came with the women’s discrimination committee today and I am happy that we have made it today. It will take time. My condolences to the family,” he said during his speech.
What is Aparajita’s anti-rape bill?
The West Bengal Assembly unanimously passed the state’s anti-rape bill after the opposition gave it its full support. It seeks the death penalty for those convicted of rape if the act causes the victim’s death or leaves him in a vegetative state. In addition, it stipulates a life sentence without parole for those convicted of rape.
The law also aims to strengthen protection for women and children by amending and introducing new provisions related to rape and sexual offences. A two-day special session of the assembly was called on September 2 to table, discuss and pass the bill.