Facing criticism after the brutal rape and killing of a young doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Wednesday that her government plans to introduce a Bill in the Assembly. This Bill aims to ensure the death penalty for those found guilty of rape and murder.
"We plan to introduce a Bill in the state Assembly within 10 days to seek capital punishment for those who commit rape and murder. We'll send it to the Governor, and if he doesn't approve it, we'll start an open-ended protest outside the Raj Bhavan. This Bill must become law... He can't dodge responsibility this time. Why shouldn't we hang rapists?" Banerjee asked while speaking at an event celebrating the foundation day of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), her party's student organization.
Mirroring the words of Trinamool General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, who talked right before her, the Chief Minister raised doubts about the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) progress in looking into the R.G. Kar rape and murder case, two weeks after the Calcutta High Court gave the case to the agency.
"The CBI taking over the case has hurt the investigation's progress," the Chief Minister stated.
She also praised the Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police for how they dealt with the 'Nabanna Abhijan' (March to Secretariat) on Tuesday adding: "I'm proud of my police. They stayed calm even when people attacked them. They didn't fall for the BJP's trick of using deaths for political gain."
The Chief Minister also urged the junior doctors of Bengal to go back to work in the state-run hospitals keeping patients' needs in mind.
Banerjee called the rape and murder case a terrible incident. She said it's crucial to watch that no mistakes happen in the next steps of handling this matter.
"That's why we aimed to wrap up the inquiry to allow for a speedy trial," the Chief Minister explained.
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