Rapists unfit to live in society, says Hakim, urges Prez to clear Aparajita bill
Times of India | 4 November 2024
12 Kolkata: Perpetrators of sexual abuse on women were unfit to stay in society, Kolkata mayor and senior minister Firhad Hakim said on Sunday, urging President Droupadi Murmu to give assent to the state's Aparajita bill, which seeks the death penalty for rapists. Hakim argued that rapists must be dealt with so severely that they "shiver in fear before committing any such act".
"These incidents are an insult to humanity. We have to protest against this and also look at why such incidents are happening repeatedly. We have repeatedly been speaking on harsher punishment. These crimes should have a death penalty; it is the only solution," Hakim said.
He added: "We hope the Aparajita bill, which has been sent to Centre, gets the nod of the President. This is beyond politics. If they cannot implement this all-India, let this begin from Bengal."
On Sept 3, Trinamool and BJP unanimously passed the Aparajita Women Child (West Bengal Criminal Law Amendment) Bill 2024 to treat all rapes — even if the victim survived — as murder to be punished with death, irrespective of the victim's age. Governor CV Ananda Bose has sent this to the President.
Earlier, the Andhra Pradesh Disha Bill 2019 and Maharashtra Shakti Bill 2020 had only one penalty — mandatory death — for all rape and gang-rape cases. Passed unanimously by the state legislatures, both bills are yet to get assent from the President.
Hakim was responding to a media question on the spate of rape complaints in Bengal.
His statements came in the backdrop of Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari urging state govt to "introspect on what's wrong with the system and how to tackle the situation proactively so that prowling sexual predators can be stopped in their tracks before another unsuspecting innocent girl becomes the victim of such gruesome crime". Adhikari posted this on X after speaking to the family of the rape victim in Alipurduar's Falakata on Saturday.
"This isn't about one act of crime — it is about destroying a girl mentally and physically for the rest of her life. These families have to battle this lifelong; they cannot spend a normal life. This is not only rape but a far more serious offence. The perpetrators are not fit to stay in a civil society," Hakim said, adding: "This is not the ethos and culture of Bengal. We worship the Mother Goddess. We revere women as mothers. Such incidents are only bringing a bad name to the country and Bengal."