A day after the Union Cabinet approved amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act, MPs called for stringent interventions to check atrocities against women and children.
Participating in a discussion in the Lok Sabha, Bijoya Chakravarty (BJP) said there was a need to change the mindset that women were “property for enjoyment”.
“There should be proper monitoring so that the law is implemented. Quick trial is necessary. Juveniles should not be spared and they should be treated on a par with other accused,” she said.
Ranjeeta Ranjan (Congress) called for ending dowry, female foeticide and similar crimes. Juveniles accused of serious crimes should not be spared and night patrolling and installing CCTV cameras in public transport systems should be done to check crimes, she said.
Referring to the proposed amendments, Kirron Kher (BJP) said: “The Cabinet has just approved the new Juvenile Justice Bill to ensure that youngsters in the age group of 16 to 18 who commit heinous crimes like rape are not let off. The government has also requested the States to increase the number of women in the police force considerably. Let us welcome these steps as responsible legislators instead of opposing it for the sake of opposition.”
V. Sathyabama (AIADMK) called for strengthening the laws to punish expeditiously those involved in atrocities against women.
B. Mahtab (BJD) said that though there were enough laws, what was lacking was in their implementation. He also made a strong case for improving law and order.
Uproar over commentThere was uproar in the House when M. Murali Mohan (TDP) said in his speech that “...to uphold the tradition of our Indian culture, I would earnestly appeal to all my sisters, daughters and girls to dress properly. I would also appeal to all my brethren to treat every girl, lady and woman as their own family member which will be a great tribute to our Mother India.”
Ranjeeta Ranjan and Sushmita Dev objected to the comment and registered their protest. Hukum Dev Singh, who was in the Chair, agreed and said he would look into it as it was a “serious matter”.
