Outrage over Mumbai gang-rape case resonates in Lok Sabha

The outrage over the Mumbai gang-rape of a young photojournalist resonated in Lok Sabha with members voicing concern that such incidents continue.

New Delhi: The outrage over the Mumbai gang-rape of a young photojournalist resonated in Lok Sabha on Saturday with members voicing concern that such incidents continue despite laws being made stringent, a view shared by the government.

As members from various parties expressed anguish, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said a report has been sought from the state government on the incident and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde will make a statement in the House on Monday. Nath said despite stringent laws, such crimes continued to take place. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Gopinath Munde (BJP) said the Centre should seek a report from the state government and a statement should be made in the House as law and order situation in Maharashtra was bad. Members from treasury benches objected to his remarks. Munde said besides the gang-rape, there have been several cases of crime against women in the state which have remained unsolved so far. He said no money has been sanctioned so far for the proposed Rs 1,000-crore Nirbhaya fund announced by the Centre a few months ago. When Sougata Roy (TMC) raised the gang-rape issue, some Congress members were heard saying that he should be worried about similar cases taking place in his party-ruled West Bengal. He said the accused in all cases of crime against women have been arrested by the West Bengal police. Unattached SP member Jaya Prada said that after the Delhi gang-rape case Parliamentarians had united to pass Criminal Law (Amendment) Law. But despite that, crimes against women have continued unabated, she said. When she claimed that only one of the accused in the Mumbai case has been arrested so far, Congress members from Maharashtra were quick to point that not one but two persons have been arrested. The brutal and shocking gang-rape of the 23-year-old photojournalist had its echo in Rajya Sabha yesterday with agitated members expressing serious concern over increasing atrocities on women and the government assuring "harshest" action against the culprits. PTI