Abhishek Demands Stricter Anti-Rape Laws, Says Will Move Private Member's Bill in Lok Sabha

Kolkata: Demanding enactment of stricter anti-rape laws by the Centre, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said he will move a private member's bill in the Lok Sabha.

The TMC national general secretary said that if the Centre "fails" to enact a stricter law that would ensure quick trial and sentencing of those found guilty, he will lead protests in Delhi.

"Our only demand is stricter anti-rape legislation," the TMC MP said, addressing a Trinamool Congress students' wing rally on its foundation day, here.

He said that the TMC will take to the streets if the Centre does not enact a new law to ensure a time-bound trial and sentencing of the accused found guilty of rape charges.

"If the central government does not enact this law, I will move a private member's bill for the new law," he said.

Banerjee said that the TMC was demanding justice and quick trial and sentencing in the rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor in R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

He said that if this government could impose lockdown or notebandi in a day, why cannot they introduce stricter anti-rape laws.

The TMC leader said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had herself said that the probe into the rape-murder of the postgraduate trainee doctor would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation if the Kolkata Police could not deliver within a specified period, but the agency has not been able to deliver so far despite being handed over the case by the Calcutta High Court on August 13.

Abhishek Banerjee claimed that the CBI has "failed" to bring to book the criminals in the probes it was already holding in the state, starting from the theft of the Nobel medal of Rabindranath Tagore in 2004.

He asked why the CBI has not been able to arrest Sandip Ghosh, who was the principal of R G Kar Medical College when the rape-murder took place on August 9.

Ghosh has been called to the CBI office for questioning for 11 consecutive days till Tuesday.

Banerjee claimed that the BJP workers had indulged in violence in the name of protests on Tuesday.

He claimed that the people of Bengal rejected the BJP's bandh call, maintaining that the TMCP rally had a record turnout on Wednesday.

"Do we have to learn about women's security from BJP?" he asked, stating that the Chief Minister of Manipur, in whose state several incidents of atrocities on women took place, should resign.

He also pointed to alleged incidents of atrocities on women at Unnao and Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, stating, "Those who are seeking the resignation of Mamata Banerjee, should ask for Yogi Adityanath's resignation.

Banerjee urged the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad leadership to ensure that in the next student body elections in the colleges in the state, 55 per cent seats be reserved for women candidates. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)