The West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday passed the anti-rape bill after a brief discussion. The bill seeks to bring amendments to central laws dealing with offences of rape, gang-rape, and sexual assault.
Titled Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024, the amendments included punishing offences of rape and gang-rape with life in prison or death. The bill also provides for the death penalty for persons convicted of rape if their actions result in the victim's death or leave her in a vegetative state.
The bill was tabled by the Mamata Banerjee government against the backdrop of ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
While speaking on the bill, Mamata Banerjee asked Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari to urge state Governor CV Ananda Bose to grant his assent to the bill.
"Through this bill, we have tried to plug the loopholes that exist in the central legislation. Rape is a curse against humanity, social reforms are required to stop such crimes," the West Bengal Chief Minister said.
"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," she added.
"Crime rates against women in states like UP, Gujarat are abnormally high. While tortured women in West Bengal are getting justice in court. West Bengal was not consulted before passing BNS, we wanted discussions on it after the new government formation," Mamata Banerjee said.
Meanwhile, the BJP welcomed the bill, but added that the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) also has all the stringent provisions to deal with crime against women and children. Party leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, also moved a motion seeking as many as seven amendments to the bill.
"We want immediate implementation of this (Anti-rape) law, it is your (state government) responsibility. We want results, it is the government's responsibility. We do not want any division, we fully support you, we will listen to the Chief Minister's statement comfortably, she can say whatever she wants but you have to guarantee that this bill will be implemented immediately...," Adhikari said.
A two-day special session of the assembly was summoned on Monday amid the ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata in August this year.
Discussion on the bill is expected to take place for around two hours, during which BJP MLAs Sikha Chatterjee and Agnimitra Paul will also speak on the bill.
