West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking stringent legislation to death with crimes against women, a senior official said.
Alapan Bandyopadhyay, chief advisor to Mamata Banerjee, informed about the CM's letter during a press conference on Thursday.
The letter comes amid the pouring outrage over the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and the subsequent disclosing of many sexual abuse crimes against women across the nation.
Drawing attention to the increasing occurrence of rape and murder cases across the country, Mamata said that it is essential to put an end to this so that women feel safe and secure.
"Respected Prime Minister, I wish to bring to your kind attention the regular and increasing occurrence of rape cases throughout the country and in many cases rapes with murder are committed according to the available data, it is horrifying to see that almost 90 cases of rapes occur daily throughout the country," she wrote.
She said that such incidents shake the confidence and conscience of the society and the nation.
In her letter, Mamata pressed on the need for a stringent central legislation which defines strict punishment for the offenders.
"It is bounden duty for all of us to put an end to it so that the women feel safe and secure. Such serious and sensitive issue needs to be addressed in a comprehensive manner through stringent central legislative prescribing exemplary punishment against the persons involved in such dastardly crimes," Mamata said in her letter to the Prime Minister.
She further said that fast-track special courts for speedy trials in such cases should also be considered in the proposed legislation to ensure swift justice. "Trial in such cases should preferably be completed within 15 days," Mamata said.
Notably, the Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the rape and murder of the trainee doctor at the state-run hospital in Kolkata and rapped the West Bengal government and state police over the timing of the filing of FIR and the subsequent probe of the case.
Both the state and the CBI on Thursday submitted their status reports to the apex court. Meanwhile, the top court also assured the protesting doctors across the nation that they will ensure justice to the victim and the safety of medical professionals, urging them to return to work and look after the patients who have been waiting for long hours to get checked amid the agitations.
