Like West Bengal, there is a demand for making a strict anti-rape law in neighboring state Odisha. The main opposition party in the state Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress on Thursday demanded a strict law for women’s safety in Odisha on the lines of the recently passed law in West Bengal. The West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed the stringent Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Law Amendment) Bill, 2024, which, among other provisions, recommends death penalty for the rapist in case of death of the victim. The bill also recommends life imprisonment without parole for rape convicts.
During the discussion in the Odisha Assembly on Thursday, opposition parties BJD and Congress alleged that the BJP government in the state is not sensitive towards rape victims. The opposition parties also alleged that since the BJP government came to power in the state in June, neither any administration official has met the families of the victims of the rape-murder cases in Remuna in Balasore district, Nakatidula in Sambalpur district, Patana in Keonjhar district and Bhubaneswar nor has any assistance been provided to them.
Initiating a debate in the Assembly on the alleged rise in the number of rape-murder cases in the state, Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Malik claimed that the incidents of crime against women and children have increased alarmingly since the BJP came to power in the state. Demanding Rs 10 lakh compensation for the family of the rape and murder victim in Remuna in Balasore district, Malik said the nine-year-old girl was raped and murdered on August 27 but government representatives have not yet visited her house.
He also cited an example of Keonjhar, the home district of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, where a girl was kidnapped, raped and later killed. Praising the West Bengal government for enacting a tough law after the rape and murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata, Mallick said, “The BJP government in Odisha lacks sensitivity and empathy towards the victims and their families.”
Mallick said the BJP government in Odisha should also bring a law similar to the one in West Bengal to prevent crimes against women and children. Mallick alleged that atrocities on women and children have increased significantly in the last three months after the Majhi-led government came to power, “so the number of such cases is increasing because the criminals have no fear.”
Senior Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati also alleged that women and children are not safe in Odisha. Urging both BJD and BJP to refrain from mudslinging at each other, Bahinipati said the state government should take immediate action to prevent such incidents by bringing in a new law with stringent provisions to provide timely justice in cases of crime against women. Congress woman MLA Sofia Firdous also hit out at both BJP and BJD for indulging in blame game instead of focusing on the issue of rising crimes against women.
Replying on behalf of Chief Minister and Home Department in-charge Mohan Charan Majhi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling claimed that the police had arrested the accused in some cases within 24 hours of receiving information about the incident. Mahaling said the BJP government is committed to the safety of women and children. He said the government has not spared any criminal. He said all the accused have been arrested and the law is doing its job. Unsatisfied with the minister’s reply, both BJD and Congress members later walked out of the House in protest.
Let us tell you that the Aparajita Women and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Law and Amendment) Bill 2024 proposes to amend the recently passed Indian Justice Code 2023, Indian Civil Security Code, 2023 laws and Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act 2012 to create a framework for speedy investigation and trial of heinous acts of violence against women and children in West Bengal and increase punishment for the culprits. Other important features of the proposed law include completing the investigation of rape cases within 21 days of the initial report, reducing the previous time limit of two months and setting up a special task force where women officers will lead the investigation.