Mamata too demands special session of Parliament to strengthen law against rape

Quite in tune with the BJP's demand, while reacting to the death of the Delhi gangrape victim, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today asked for a special Session of Parliament to be convened to pass a stringent law to punish those indulging in crimes like rape.

BJP MP and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj has already demanded calling of a special session of Parliament.

"We want the Centre to frame a strong Act (against rape). A special session (of Parliament) can be called. We will support the Centre to the hilt in this regard," Mamata said at Jalpaiguri this morning before boarding an aircraft for Kolkata.

Expressing shock and dismay at the incident which she called "barbaric and savage", she said those who commit these kind of crimes should be excommunicated. "The news of her death reached us this morning. All limits (of tolerance) have been crossed. The IPC and CrPC of our country are pretty old and they need to be ammended. It is the job of the Centre and it is up to them how they will do this. We will support if a strong law is enacted. The Centre should consult all parties and those working on this (torture on women) issue," she said.

Mamata claimed that when she was a member of the Consultative Committee on Home Affairs, some changes were made in the law. "The law has to be made more stringent. At the same time, social awareness needs to be created. Not only rape is to be stopped, those who glorify such incidents should also be restrained from doing so. We have to keep in mind that children do not want to see (reports of rape in media). No one should maintain relationship with a rapist. Those who do such henious work should not be forgiven," she added.

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