Mamata Banerjee can't hide her criminal intent behind new anti-rape Bill: Amit Malviya

New Delhi: After the West Bengal Assembly unanimously passed the Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024, with a voice vote on Tuesday, the BJP expressed its scepticism about Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's intent behind the passage of the Bill.

The Aparajita Bill, which came in the wake of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital last month, aims to strengthen the protection for women and children by revising and introducing new provisions related to rape and sexual offences.

The Bill proposes to amend provisions of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act “in their application to the state of West Bengal to enhance punishment and to constitute the framework for expeditious investigation and trial of the heinous acts of violence against women and children".

Commenting on the development, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya questioned the motive of the West Bengal CM.

In a post on X, Malviya said, "Mamata Banerjee can’t hide her criminal intent behind the new anti-rape Bill passed in the West Bengal Assembly. Other than being a desperate attempt to divert attention from the raging civil society protest against her post the rape and murder of the young lady doctor at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, a closer look at the fine prints of the Bill reveals that it seeks to limit reporting on judicial proceedings in rape cases."

"Why is Mamata Banerjee trying to silence the media? So much for free speech and press freedom! Besides, if Mamata Banerjee is indeed serious about tackling crimes against women, she should immediately apologise to the women of Sandeshkhali for defending Sheikh Shahjahan on the floor of the West Bengal Assembly, and make a public announcement that Shahjahan will be the first rapist to be hanged to death under the new anti-rape law," he added.

Notably, the Bill proposes death penalty for rapists if their acts result in the death of the victim or they suffer severe brain damage.

The BJP IT Cell chief also condemned Mamata Banerjee for failing to implement fast-track courts to address crimes against women and minor girls.

Malviya also shared a video on X, saying, "Mamata Banerjee claims to have implemented the 'Ratri Saathi' scheme as a means of protection. However, in reality, the question remains: Protection for whom? The women or the TMC thugs, who prey on women to satisfy their carnal lust? Ratri Saathi is nothing but a draconian measure, designed to banish women from workplaces, restraining them from doing night shifts, and reserving darkness for TMC’s marauding thugs."

"It is a brazen attempt to strip women of their fundamental rights, confining their freedom to work, limiting their convenience, and restricting their choice. This scheme is a glaring testament to Mamata Banerjee’s penchant for preserving the ills of male chauvinism that haunts the women of Bengal," he added.

Malviya also said that at a time when women of Bengal are waging a war against the chains of patriarchy, Mamata Banerjee has chosen to stifle their fight.

"She is offering no safety, no empowerment, only the cowardly command: ‘Women will not work at night'. This is not protection, it is oppression, pure and simple. Shame on her! Women must reclaim what is rightfully theirs! Women must reclaim the night," Malviya said.