KOLKATA: Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wrote a letter to Narendra Modi reminding him of her demand for a “stringent central legislation on incidents of rape” and also apprised him about the steps taken by the state government on women’s safety and security.
“No reply was received from your end on such a sensitive issue,” Mamata stated at the beginning of her letter. “However, a reply was received from the minister of women and child development, which barely attends the gravity of the issue raised in my letter.”
Two days ago on the foundation day of the Trinamul’s students’ wing, Mamata had announced that the state Assembly will pass a bill for capital punishment to rapists. The party’s general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had demanded the Centre pass a law in the Parliament for “capital punishment” and time-bound investigation and trial.
Facing heat from doctors and the Opposition over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Mamata had trained her guns on leniency to rapists and also questioned why appeals were made to release those convicted of rapes.
“Our state has already taken (measures) which appears to have been overlooked in the reply,” the chief minister wrote in her letter to Modi. “Regarding Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), 10 exclusive POCSO Courts have been approved by the State Government. In addition to this, 86 FTSCs and 62 POCSO designated Courts are’ functioning throughout the State on complete State funding. Monitoring and disposal of cases is completely in the hands of the Courts.”
Mamata reminded Modi that the Central Government guidelines state only retired judicial officers can be appointed as presiding officers in the fast-track courts.
“High Court has observed that in view of the severity of the cases, permanent judicial officers need to be posted,” Mamata wrote. “This requires examination at the level of Government of India and suitable action thereafter, for which your intervention would be necessary.”
The chief minister also mentioned the helpline numbers 112 and 1098 are “satisfactorily working” in the state along with Dial 100, used for emergency situations.
“I would reiterate and earnestly request to kindly consider a stringent Central legislation and exemplary punishment on heinous crimes of rape/rape and murder, with mandatory provision for disposal, of cases in a specific time-frame by the trial authorities. I hope this matter would receive a very considered attention at your kind end in the interest of our society at large,” Mamata wrote.
Agencies

Agencies