President should give nod to 'Aprajita' anti-rape bill for women safety: Trinamool Congress

West Midnapore (West Bengal), Oct 15 (IANS) In the wake of the recent gang rape case in Durgapur, West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress spokesperson Riju Dutta on Wednesday demanded that the 'Aparajita' anti-rape bill should receive the President's assent to ensure the safety of women in the state.

Speaking to IANS, Riju Dutta said: “What happened in Durgapur is extremely unfortunate. I cannot comment on the investigation, but within 48 hours, five accused have been arrested. Such swift action doesn’t happen in BJP-ruled states. In Uttar Pradesh, such incidents occur frequently, yet there is hardly any action. But this is West Bengal, where women are safe."

"According to NCRB reports, West Bengal is the safest state for women. Those who are politicising this issue should refrain from doing so. What we need is to instil fear in the minds of those who commit such heinous crimes. The only way to ensure this is by passing the ‘Aparajita’ Anti-Rape Bill, which proposes strict punishment for the accused. For the protection and safety of women, this bill must be passed," he added.

The West Bengal Assembly unanimously passed the Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024, on September 3, 2024. However, the bill was sent to the President for assent and is still pending there.

On Monday, Trinamool MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar had also demanded that the pending bill be approved.

"We think this (Durgapur gangrape) is a heinous crime. We want the perpetrator to be punished. We have passed the Aparajita Bill in the West Bengal Assembly, and then it has gone to Delhi, but the Central government has not allowed it. It is lying with the President. Whatever the government says, the President does. Despite our demand, it has not been passed. So the onus lies on the Central government," she added.

A day after the crime, the Trinamool had issued a statement saying that while heinous crimes like rape demand the harshest condemnation, and the toughest laws, the Union government had chosen delay over duty in the Aparajita Anti-Rape Bill, noting that while more than a year had passed since the law was passed, the Union government had done nothing to convert words into law.

--IANS

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