Nirbhaya’s father: Ordinance a show for 2019 election, hang all rapists 

Although the Modi government is patting itself on the back for bringing an amendment in the POCSO law provisioning for death penalty for those convicted of raping children below the age of 12 via an ordinance on April 21, the government’s decision has been termed as political by the father of the Delhi gangrape victim. Nirbhaya’s father said the government has taken this decision keeping in mind the next general elections in 2019.

Nirbhaya’s father said there was no point in making a provision for death sentence only in case of rape of a child below 12 years. He held that a rape is a rape, whether it is of a child or of an adult. He demanded life imprisonment or death sentence for all rape convicts.

Nirbhaya’s mother too demanded that life sentence or death penalty be given to all those convicted of rape. She said, “A provision has been made to give death penalty for rapists of girls below 12 years of age. This is a good step but what about those girls who are older? There is no more heinous crime than rape, there is no larger pain. Every rapist should be hanged.”

On December 16, 2012, 23-year-old Nirbhaya was brutally gangraped in a moving bus in south Delhi. She died during treatment on December 29. After this incident, protests erupted all across the country. People came out on the streets in large numbers and demanded justice for Nirbhaya. But unfortunately, such gruesome incidents continue in our country even today. The recent cases of Unnao and Kathua gangrape have shaken the entire country once more.