More demand justice for rape victims
Source: The Sangai Express / (with inputs from Indian Express)
Imphal, April 22 2018:
Demanding justice for Kathua
rape victim, Social Democratic
Party of India (SDPI) Manipur
today launched a protest rally
from Lilong Heinou Makhong
to Lilong Bazar.
Denouncing the inhuman
incidents including the Kathua
rape case, Unnao rape case
and other rape cases involv-
ing minors, the protesters
demanded the Indian Gov-
ernment and the Judiciaries to
sentence strongest of the pun-
ishments to deter repetition of
the heinous crime.
Speaking to media per-
sons, general secretary
SDPIM Md Riyajuddin Shah
said the cases (rape) that are
unfolding in these past weeks
have hurt the Country and
these cases calls for stringent
law/ punishments.
In Kathua case, an eight-
year-old girl was raped and
murdered in Kathua district of
Jammu and Kashmir in Janu-
ary.
Youth employee
Wangkhem Muslim, a
WhatsApp group has also
carried out a candle light vigil
at Thoubal Wangkhem Bazar
demanding justice for Kathua
rape victim.
The protesters
hold placards and banners
during the event demanding
stringent punishment to all
persons involved in the hei-
nous crime committed against
the minor.
Despite protests pouring in
from many part of the Coun-
try including Manipur, there
is a rise in the number of rape
cases in the past weeks that
follows.
President Ram Nath
Kovind on Sunday gave as-
sent to the Criminal Law
Ordinance, 2018, which al-
lows Courts to award death
penalty to those convicted of
raping children below 12
years of age.
The Ordinance was ap-
proved by the Cabinet on
Saturday.
The Ordinance recom-
mends a minimum of 20
years' imprisonment or im-
prisonment for rest of life and
the maximum of death for the
rape of girls under 12.In case
of gang rape of a girl below
12 years, the minimum pun-
ishment will be imprisonment
for the "rest of life" and the
maximum, death sentence.
For the offence of rape, of
those above 16, minimum
punishment has been in-
creased from rigorous
imprisonment of 7 years to
10 years, "extendable to life
imprisonment" .