Legislation enacted since the Delhi gang-rape case of 2012 has not had any impact on incidents of sexual assault as the horrific gang rape of a mother and her teenage daughter in Uttar Pradesh, barely a two-hour drive from the national capital shows. (“ >3 arrested, 12 detained in U.P. gang-rape case ”, Aug.1). According to National Crime Records Bureau data, 93 women are assaulted every day. The perpetrators of this heinous form of crime should be given exemplary punishment, regardless of whether they are minors or the sole bread winners of their family. The right of families to complete safety is a must.
Adarsh J.,
Thiruvananthapuram
Rape is India’s fast growing form of crime and is a blot on the country. Since December 2012, there has been a 28.7 per cent increase in incidents of rape. In 2015, 32,077 cases were registered, as said in the Rajya Sabha. A study by the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring says that a woman is molested every 26 minutes and raped every 34 minutes. What is creating impediments is the lengthy and cumbersome criminal justice delivery system. There is no fear of the law. If women are to be safe, drastic forms of punishment for ‘predators’ need to be thought of.
S.K. Khosla,
Chandigarh
