Exemplary penalty to end gender violence mooted
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 04 2012:
Along with taking out a public rally to highlight the issue, a day-long discussion session on 'Alarming Gender Violence in Manipur' was held under the auspices of Universal Mothers' Association (UMO) at Lamyanba Shanglen, Palace Compound here today.
Inaugurating the discussion session as Chief Guest, President of United Committee Manipur (UCM) Yumnam Nabachandra Meitei stated that when the attitude of the security personnel deployed in the State towards women began to change for the better, its unfortunate that a number of people in our own society could not consider women as their own mothers, sisters and daughters.
Under such circumstances, it would be the right step for the authorities concerned to take up strict legal actions against those lecherous individuals who on the prowl to make defenceless women as their prey.
He further said that the indifferent attitude of the State Government over the issue of the rape of a minor girl reading in class XII in TG Higher Secondary School by Th Tarun and Y Deven is very unfortunate.
The culprits should be given exemplary punishment.
"Once the State Government starts giving befitting punishment to such individuals, the rate of crimes against women would surely come down in the state", he maintained, adding that it is because of the failure on the part of the State government to take up necessary actions against the perpetrators that the public have began taking the law in their own hands.
Managing Trustee of Just Peace Foundation Kh Anandi, who attended the function presided over by President of UMO Ningthoujam Sorojini Chanu as Guest of Honour, also stressed on the need to award capital punishment to Th Tarun and Y Deven for raping the minor girl.
After the inaugural function, students who came to participate in the discussion session took out a mass rally.
Carrying placards in hands and shouting slogans like 'We condemn rape of students', 'Punish the culprits', 'Frame charge-sheets to punish the rapists', etc, the student rallyists were marching towards the Chief Minister's Bungalow, when the security personnel blocked them from going ahead near Sanjenthong.
Later, an 8-member delegation was allowed to meet the Chief Minister and submit their memorandum.
The memorandum highlighted demands for expediting the process of submitting charge-sheet in connection with the rape of a student of TG Higher Secondary School to the concerned Law Court on or before December 15; to make public the whereabouts of the two culprits and to punish them in accordance to the law of the land at the earliest.