Condemn Hyderabad incident ‘in one voice’: Speaker
New Delhi: Swift death penalty, public lynching and castration of rape convicts were among the demands made by members in both houses of Parliament on Monday as they expressed deep outrage over the rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad and other such incidents in the country, while the Centre said it was ready to amend laws to bring in stringent provisions and ensure speedy justice.
Cutting across party lines, MPs condemned the recent spurt in crime against women and demanded strict laws that punish the guilty within a fixed time-frame.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu even suggested a rethink on allowing convicts in heinous crimes to go in for mercy appeals.
Speaking in the Upper House, Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan said the rapists should be “brought out in public and lynched.”
DMK’s P Wilson said courts should be empowered to surgically and chemically castrate convicted rapists before they are released from jails so as to check repeat offenders. The cost of such procedure should be recovered from the accused by selling his assets, he said, adding list of sexual offenders should also be made public.
Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the society will have to tackle this problem at its root and the guilty should be given stringent punishment without any discrimination on the basis of religion or caste. Mohd. Ali Khan of the Congress and Sanjay Singh of the Aam Adami Party (AAP) demanded that the trial and punishment should be carried out within a fixed time frame.
Expressing grief, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, “We in one voice” condemn such incidents. Responding to a discussion during Zero Hour in the Lower House, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was falling short of words to condemn the heinous crime.
The minister said the incident has hurt everyone. He observed that such heinous crimes were happening even after strict law were framed post the Nirbhaya incident.
As one member after another mentioned the ghastly crime, Union minister G Kishan Reddy said that the government is ready to amend the Indian Penal Code and CrPC to ensure swift justice in cases of heinous crimes like the Hyderabad rape and murder case.
The Centre had written to states and police forces over the issue, he said, adding various parties will be consulted.
Reddy said the government has come out with 112, an all-in-one emergency helpline number, and has “zero tolerance” against crimes against women.
Earlier, Rajya Sabha Chairman Naidu rejected adjournment on the Hyderabad incident but allowed members to make brief mentions on the same and other such incidents elsewhere in the country. (PTI)