Abhishek Banerjee seeks stricter anti-rape laws by Centre

Demanding the enactment of stricter anti-rape laws by the Centre, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said he will move a private member’s bill in the Lok Sabha.

The TMC national general secretary said that if the Centre “fails” to enact a stricter law that would ensure quick trial and sentencing of those found guilty, he will lead protests in Delhi.

“Our only demand is stricter anti-rape legislation,” the TMC MP said, addressing the party’s students’ wing Trinamool Chhatra Parishad’s rally on its foundation day in Kolkata.

“If the central government does not enact this law, I will move a private member’s bill for the new law,” he said.

Abhishek said the TMC was demanding justice and quick trial and sentencing in the rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

He said if this government could impose a lockdown or demonetisation in a day, why can’t they introduce stricter anti-rape laws?

The TMC leader said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had herself said that the probe into the rape-murder of the postgraduate trainee doctor would be handed over to the CBI if the Kolkata Police could not deliver within a specified period, but the agency has not been able to deliver so far despite being handed over the case by the Calcutta High Court on August 13.

Abhishek claimed that the CBI had “failed” to bring to book the criminals in the probes it was already conducting in the state, starting from the theft of the Nobel medal of Rabindranath Tagore in 2004.

He asked why the CBI has not been able to arrest Sandip Ghosh, who was the principal of RG Kar Medical College when the rape-murder took place on August 9.

Ghosh has been called to the CBI office for questioning for 11 consecutive days (till Tuesday).

Abhishek claimed that BJP workers had been violent in the name of protests on Tuesday.

He claimed that the people of Bengal rejected the BJP’s bandh call, maintaining that the TMCP rally had a record turnout on Wednesday.

“Do we have to learn about women’s security from BJP?” he asked, stating that the Chief Minister of Manipur, in whose state several incidents of atrocities on women took place, should resign.

He also pointed to alleged incidents of atrocities on women at Unnao and Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, stating, “Those who are seeking the resignation of Mamata Banerjee, should ask for Yogi Adityanath’s resignation.”

Abhishek urged the TMCP leadership to ensure that in the next student body elections in the colleges in the state, 55 per cent seats be reserved for women candidates.