Kolkata rape-murder case: TMC's Abhishek Banerjee demands anti-rape law

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, on Tuesday, stressed that the conviction rate for rape cases in India stands at 26 per cent, further demanding a stringent "anti-rape law" that ensures trials and convictions within 50 days.

Weeks after the horrific Kolkata murder-rape case, Banerjee shared a chart on X, highlighting the cases of rape and atrocities against women in the last 15 days after the RG Kar Hospital incident.

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee stated, "This collage stands as a stark reminder of the state of affairs in India over the last 15 days as the nation fights for justice against rape. The answer is clear: a stringent anti-rape law that ensures trials and convictions within 50 days, followed by immediate and harsh punishment. The shocking truth is that the conviction rate for rape cases in India is a dismal 26 per cent. This translates to only 26 convictions out of every 100 reported cases, while 74 offenders escape unpunished."

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"If we are to deliver justice to the victims of this appalling crime, it is imperative that we demand a time-bound anti-rape law from our state and union government," he added.

This comes as West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee's government faces severe criticism over the delay in providing justice to the trainee doctor, who was brutally murdered and lost her life earlier this month.

Banerjee further said that anything else is futile, merely symbolic and ultimately ineffective.

Banerjee's reaction comes as the protesters in Kolkata are on the streets, demanding justice and demonstrating against delayed justice, since the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

As the protest rages, the West Bengal police have tightened security around the West Bengal state secretariat "Nabanna". The police have further deployed water cannons, and Riot Control Force in the area while containers were placed to block the roads.

What happened on August 9?

The trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was found dead in the seminar hall of the hospital on August 9. After a 36-hour long shift, she had gone there to sleep. During that time, she was brutally raped and murdered.

Watch |Kolkata Rape-Murder Case: Student organisations' protest march to Secretariat

According to her autopsy, 25 internal and external injuries were reported. Sanjay Roy, the main accused in the case, was seen in the CCTV footage in the corridor around the time of the incident.

Roy also molested another woman in the city's street before committing the crime at RG Kar Medical Hospital, as per some reports.

(With inputs from agencies)