BHOPAL: Is the law enough to curb the menace? Perhaps not always… Though the former BJP government in state had established capital punishment in rape and murder cases of minor, but the number of cases of sexual assaults kept on mounting. The new government has a lot to do to control the mess.
During the Winter Session (in December 2017), the BJP government had passed the bill in which the rapist would get Capital Punishment if the victim was below 12 years. The state assembly unanimously passed the Dand Vidhi (Madhya Pradesh Sanshodhan) Vidheyak 2017, which proposes capital punishment for those convicted of raping/gang-raping minors.
Recently Lok Sabha also passed the bill. But it seems that the bill has had little impact on the minds of criminals. The police have also failed to provide extra cover to girls or women. Till October 2018, 3,971 rape cases were reported. In 2017, 3,754 cases were clocked and in 2016, 3,378 cases were reported till the month of October.
The cases of molestation is also on the rise. In 2016 (till October), the cases were 7,530 which increased to 8,019 in 2017 and in 2018 the number had increased to 8,163 cases. The similar situation is with the kidnapping cases in the year 2016 ( till the month of October) 4629 kidnappings have taken place, in 2017 the cases increased to 5619 and in the current year the number increased to 6230.
In the current year, eight women were forced for ‘naked parade’, but in the previous year one case was reported and in 2018 none was reported. The immoral trafficking had also increased in 2017 the numbers were 18, but in the current year till October, 25 cases were reported. The state government was eager to control ‘crime against women’ but is it not the priority of the police?
