Death Penalty For Convicts If…: West Bengal Assembly Passes Bill Anti-Rape ‘Aparajita’ Bill

Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on Tuesday passed the Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024—the proposes death penalty for rape convicts in case of victim’s death—in the State Legislative Assembly.

The Bill aims to create a ‘safer environment for women and children.’

Speaking at the Assembly, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said rape was a national shame. “Let us come together for social reform which is needed to prevent rapes,” she added.

The anti-rape legislation comes in the wake of the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor that has led to a massive outcry across the country. The brutal incident—that occurred in the premises of a state-run hospital in Kolkata—triggered protests across the state, with many junior doctors striking work and demanding safer work conditions.

Key highlights of the Bill

Calling the bill as a ‘historic’ one, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that a special unit of the state police — ‘Aparajita Task Force’– would be set up once the Bill becomes a law. The ‘Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024’ also proposes capital punishment for rape convicts if their action leads to victims’ death or send them into a vegetative state.

The Bill further tightens the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. It proposes to give punishment to the culprits within 21 days of the preliminary report.

Cops remove barricades put up to stop docs from marching to police headquarters

Meanwhile, junior doctors continued their protest, demanding the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner, Vineet Goyal, alleging ineffective handling of the case. The doctors, who were stopped on their way to Lalbazaar—the Kolkata Police Headquarters—on Monday during their march, had spent the entire day sitting on the street, shouting slogans. They showed no sign of relent and the sit-in protest continued to Tuesday, when the police was forced to remove the barricade, put up to stop their march to Lalbazaar.

Former RG Kar Principal Sandip Ghosh taken to Alipore court

RG Kar Medical College and Hospital’s former principal Sandip Ghosh and three others were brought to Alipore Judges Court in connection with RG Kar Medical College and Hospital financial irregularities case. They were arrested by CBI anti-corruption branch last night. “There is a large nexus that needs to exposed and hence we are asking for interrogation. We have just arrested 4 people. There is a large nexus. We need their custody to unearth the entire nexus,” CBI told the court, reported the ANI. CBI has sought 10-day custody of the four accused

Docs hand over documents to CBI

Dr Sukanta Chakraborty, representing joint platform of doctors, visited the CBI anti-corruption branch office in Kolkata to submit documents related to alleged financial irregularities in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. “…We will submit all the documents, all the complaints, all the replies from RTI or Swasthya Bhawan that we have received over the years. We will submit a compilation of them. We have already submitted digital complaints. I have come to give hard copies…We have heard that vigilance complaints are pending against Dr Sandip Ghosh…We hope for speedy justice for our sister. We want justice for her. We want immediate suspension of all those responsible for the crime and for covering up the crime and financial irregularities…” he told the ANI.