Expressing concern over the scourge of acid attacks on women, the entire Rajya Sabha on Friday sought stringent punishment for the perpetrators and urged the Government to set up a commission for rehabilitation of the victims besides fast-track courts for such crimes.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, KC Tyagi (JD-U) said these crimes inflict mental trauma apart from physical injuries. He said these attacks have become rampant and scores of women were forced to live with distorted faces, bodies and minds.
“While perpetrators of such crimes manage to go scot-free, the victim’s psyche is damaged for life besides face and body and the scar remains,” he said, demanding framing of stringent laws to deal with such perpetrators. He described these culprits as persons with perverted minds and said they managed to escape punishment due to weak laws.
Even after the Supreme Court made it a non-bailable offence for such offenders, the accused continue to escape, Tyagi said seeking formation of a Commission for rehabilitation of victim. Even Prime Minister and Home Minister have expressed concern over such incidents, he said and demanded compensation of Rs10-15 lakh each for such victims, adding several victims recently staged a dharna here to seek justice.
Jaya Bachchan (SP) said the Government should not only express concern but do something also. The entire House associated with the demand, with Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi saying the issue is serious and he will apprise the Government about the concerns of the Elders.
In a related issue, Ramdas Athawale (RPI-A) demanded in the Rajya Sabha enactment of a law to “break the hands and legs of rapists” who target little girls and referred to a recent incident where a three-year-old girl was raped and killed in lonavala in Maharashtra.
He said while a legal punitive provision including hanging is there for such crimes but another act where “hands and legs of the males who commit rapes should be broken. A law for this should be enacted in this House.”
