Women’s commission demands strict punishment for rapists

NEW DELHI - Stringent punishment for rapists is essential to discourage such crimes, chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) Girija Vyas said Monday.

“It (rape cases) is a serious issue… and it is repeating again and again. I think that unless the culprits get severe punishment, the cases will occur again and again,” Vyas said.

She also said that she will meet Delhi Police Commissioner B.K. Gupta to discuss steps taken to ensure the safety of women in Delhi.

She was speaking against the backdrop of a number of rape cases in the capital reported in the past few days.

An 18-year-old girl was abducted and raped in a moving vehicle by four youths, including a minor, after she protested their lewd remarks in the Sultanpuri area of northwest Delhi late Saturday.

The incident comes days after a 30-year-old BPO employee was abducted and raped by four men in south Delhi and a 22-year-old woman was abducted and raped by six men in northeast Delhi last week.

The Delhi Police commissioner Friday met Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath and assured her that steps will be taken to ensure the safety of women in the capital.

He said that an additional 300 police control room (PCR) vans will be deployed to patrol the capital’s roads. Gender sensitisation workshops will also be organised at police stations.

Delhi Police has also issued notices to all BPOs, and corporate and media houses to ensure that women employees in night shifts are picked up from and dropped at their doorsteps.