In a letter to the Prime Minister, the chief minister wrote that incidents of rape, coupled with murder, have increased in the country and therefore it was the bounden duty for everyone “to put an end to it so that women feel safe and secure” in the country.
“According to the available data, it is horrifying to see that almost 90 cases of rapes occur daily throughout the country… This shakes the confidence and conscience of the society and the nation,” she wrote.
“Such serious and sensitive issue needs to be addressed in a comprehensive manner through stringent central legislation prescribing exemplary punishment against the persons involved in such dastardly crimes,” the chief minister suggested.
“Setting up of Fast Track Special Courts for speedy trial in such cases should also be considered in the proposed legislation. To ensure quick justice, trials in such cases should preferably be completed within 15 days,” the TMC chief added.
TMC MP and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee echoed the chief minister. In a post of his X handle, Abhishek, considered number two in the TMC, said a lasting solution to tackle rapes “still remains largely undiscussed”.
“Over the past 10 days, while the nation has been protesting against the #RGKarMedicalcollege incident and demanding justice, 900 RAPES have occurred across different parts of India – DURING THE VERY TIME WHEN PEOPLE WERE ON THE STREETS PROTESTING AGAINST THIS HORRIBLE CRIME,” he posted on X.
Demanding a strict central law against rape, he wrote: “With 90 RAPES REPORTED DAILY, 4 EVERY HOUR AND 1 EVERY 15 MINUTES – the urgency for a decisive action is clear. We need strong laws that mandate TRIALS & CONVICTIONS WITHIN 50 days, followed by the severest punishments, not just empty promises.”
“The state governments must act and urgently push the Centre for a comprehensive anti-rape law that ensures swift and strict justice. Anything less is merely symbolic and tragically ineffective,” he posted with “WAKE UP INDIA!” slogan.
The TMC government in the state has been feeling the heat since the rape and murder of the junior doctor on the hospital premises on August 9. The mob violence at RG Kar hospital on the night of August 14 added to the government’s woes. Even the Supreme Court, which took cognisance of the matter suo motu on Tuesday, came down heavily on the West Bengal government stating that the “brutality of the sexual assault and the nature of the” rape and murder of a junior doctor “have shocked the conscience of the nation”.
Asking some tough questions on the role of the state police and the principal of the institution at the time of the incident and the delay in filing an FIR, a three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud directed the central paramilitary force, CISF, to provide security to the hospital.
Click here to join The Indian Express on WhatsApp and get latest news and updates