In 2022, India reported 31000 rapes which means 90 rapes per day. Besides, many rapes are not even reported in the country. From Nirbhaya to Kolkata rape and murder, what has changed? Where are we? In yet another set of these questions, the students’ organization will gear up for a peaceful Nabanna Abhijaan rally in ‘Chhatra Samaj’ in West Bengal today i.e. on 27th August. Its emphasis will be on the demand for the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the arrest of the culprits in the case of the alleged rape and murder of a doctor in RG Kar Hospital.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress and West Bengal Police have expressed apprehension of violence in the Nabanna Abhijaan rally. The state police has described the scheduled rallies as illegal and unauthorized. The police says that it has taken necessary precautions to remove the apprehensions related to the law and order situation being affected during the march.
The student have also announced that their march will not affect UGC-NET students as examinations would be held in two shifts. However, despite these assurances, several educational institutions have decided to either hold online classes on Tuesday or have declared a holiday.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation completed two rounds of polygraph tests on the former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh. Lie detection tests were also conducted on the prime accused Sanjoy Roy.
No Death Penalty For Rapist, Justice Verma Committee Report
Justice Verma Committee recommended that rapists who cause the death of the victim or inflict serious injuries be punished with not less than 20 years imprisonment, “which shall mean for the rest of the convict’s natural life”. The committee has raised the bar of punishment for a wide range of existing and proposed sexual offences.
“Whoever commits an offence punishable under Section 376(1) or Section 376(2) and in the course of such commission inflicts an injury which causes the death of the person or causes the person to be in a persistent vegetative state, shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than twenty years, but may be for life, which shall mean the rest of that person’s natural life,” it noted.
It is also noted that “there is considerable evidence that the deterrent effect of death penalty on serious crimes is actually a myth. According to the Working Group on Human Rights, the murder rate has declined consistently in India over the last 20 years despite the slowdown in the execution of death sentences since 1980. Hence we do take note of the argument that introduction of death penalty for rape may not have a deterrent effect.”
In its 630-page report, the committee also proposed introducing new criminal offenses such as stalking, disrobing a woman, trafficking, voyeurism, and marital rape.
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