New Delhi:

Rajya Sabha today expressed outrage over growing incidents of rape in the country with a demand being made to give capital punishment to culprits and dismissal of Congress government in Haryana over the rape and murder of a 20-year-old Dalit girl in Jind.

The government also came under sharp attack for “inaction” on such issues.

The recent incidents of the rape of a Dalit girl in Jind in Haryana and that of a woman constable in Jharkhand was raised by members, who also made references to rape cases happening in Delhi and Maharashtra.

Incidentally, all these states are ruled by Congress either alone or in alliance with regional parties.

As members rued that despite their raising such issues repeatedly in the House, action is not forthcoming and the government is not responding, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla said government was ready for discussion on the issue provided members give notices.

Najma Heptulla (BJP) said no judgement is coming on the South Delhi gangrape case even though it was being heard by a Fast Track Court. “What is the Fast Track Court doing? It’s a Slow Track court… I think government should take serious note of this,” she said.

She felt that despite the amendments brought in the law to provide stringent punishment to perpetrators of such crimes, the message of a tough legislation has not gone down among such people and “they are not scared”.

Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said “the House is one in condemning this heinous crime (Jind rape case)” and would request Government to ensure that the “severest punishment” be given to the culprits.” He said government should come back to the House to tell what action has been taken.

Praful Patel, who was the only minister present in the House, said, he will convey to the Home Minister the sentiments of the House.

“Even if it involves any state government, we will ask the Government of India to talk to the concerned state,” he said.

Raising the issue of Jind rape during Zero Hour, Ranbir Singh Prajapati (INLD) said it was a continuation of rape incidents against Dalits in the state.

“There is no law and order in Haryana. Incidents of rape against Dalits are rising. Most of the rape incidents had happened there against the Dalits,” Prajapati said and demanded dismissal of the Haryana government.

He alleged that police beat up family members of the victim when they went to register an FIR and when her father was demonstrating with the body.

Quoting remarks of the SC/ST Commissions, he said Haryana has become the rape capital as maximum incidents of rapes and atrocities are happening there.

Avtar Singh Karimpuri (BSP) alleged that “injustice and atrocities” against Dalits in Haryana are taking place on a large scale and sought “swift action without any delay” in rape cases there on the line of what is being done about the recent photojournalist gang-rape case in Mumbai.

He said the manner in which the police bashed up the protesting family members of the Jind rape and murder victim was highly condemnable.

Raising the incidents of the gang-rape of a woman constable in Jharkhand and the rape of a mentally challenged girl in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, Anil Desai (Shiv Sena) said, “This is a shame to the country.”

Such incidents cannot be checked “unless capital punishment is given and justice is delivered in time,” he said.

Slamming the state government over the gang-rape of the woman constable, who was abducted and gang-raped by robbers while she was bringing the body of her sister killed in firing for cremation, Desai said, “Things are going very slow. Jharkhand state is to be blamed.

Raising the issue of the rape of a mentally challenged girl in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, Desai said the “inaction” of the authorities in ensuring justice to the victim and severest punishment to the accused shows the apathy towards the grave problem.

Jaya Bachchan (SP) lamented that despite the members discussing important issues like rape and other kinds of atrocities on women, the response of the government is lacking.

“The reply to our Zero Hour mentions and special mentions are zero. Somewhere there has to be answerability. They have failed on every aspect of governance. I would like you to convey to the treasury benches that when an MP is raising an issue, it should be immediately replied,” she said.

Responding to her, Shukla said she could give a notice and Woman and Child Minister could come to the House to reply on a discussion on the issue.

Heptulla earlier rued that everyday, the House has to discuss this or that incident of rape and asked the government to do something.

source:http://www.firstpost.com