Mamata writes to PM Modi, demands stringent rape laws, fast-track justice

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, 22 August, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding stringent central legislation with exemplary punishment for perpetrators of rape, a senior official said in Kolkata.

Alapan Bandopadhyay, chief advisor to the West Bengal chief minister, read the letter at a press conference.

Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, wrote the letter in the backdrop of countrywide protests over the alleged rape and murder of a woman doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata earlier this month.

Noting the regular occurrence of rape cases throughout the country, Banerjee highlighted that, according to available data, nearly 90 rape cases occur daily. In many cases, rape victims were murdered.

“It is horrifying to see this trend. It shakes the confidence and conscience of society and the nation. It is our bounden duty to put an end to it so that women feel safe and secure. Such a serious and sensitive issue needs to be addressed comprehensively through stringent central legislation that prescribes exemplary punishment for those involved in these dastardly crimes,” the letter read.

Banerjee also proposed the establishment of fast-track special courts for speedy trials in these cases.

“To ensure quick justice, trials should preferably be completed within 15 days,” she suggested.