"Shivraj Chouhan asks Mamata Banerjee if Shahjahan will be hanged following the passage of the anti-rape bill."

 On Tuesday, in Kolkata, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee following the passage of the anti-rape bill in the West Bengal Assembly. Chouhan referred to the bill as a 'diversionary tactic' and questioned whether Sheikh Shahjahan, the accused in the Sandeshkhali sexual abuse case, would be sentenced to death under the new law.

"Shivraj Chouhan asks Mamata Banerjee if Shahjahan will be hanged following the passage of the anti-rape bill."

Chouhan accused Banerjee of enacting the law under pressure and claimed that it was an attempt to divert attention from the RG Kar hospital rape and murder incident. He questioned the timing of the bill, asking why Banerjee had not introduced it earlier if she truly cared about women's safety.

He further challenged Banerjee to clarify whether individuals like Shahjahan Sheikh would face the death penalty under this law, asserting that the legislation was merely a distraction and would not effectively address the issue of sexual violence.

Earlier that day, the West Bengal Assembly had unanimously passed the anti-rape bill, which seeks to impose the death penalty on rape convicts if their actions result in the victim's death or leave her in a vegetative state. The bill also proposes a life sentence without parole for other perpetrators and aims to expedite investigations, with probes to be completed within 21 days instead of the previous two-month deadline. 

The bill, titled 'Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024,' introduces several significant changes to the state's legal framework, including the formation of a special task force led by women officers. However, the bill still requires approval from the Bengal Governor and the President before it can be enacted into law.

During the special session of the assembly, where the bill was discussed, Banerjee described the legislation as "historic" and called for the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the chief ministers of states that have failed to implement effective laws to protect women. Banerjee argued that the bill was necessary because the central government had shown little enthusiasm for amending existing laws to ensure stricter punishment for rapists and quicker justice for victims.

Opposition BJP MLAs supported the bill, but their leader, Suvendu Adhikari, accused Banerjee of using the bill to divert attention from public anger over the RG Kar hospital incident. Despite the support, Adhikari criticized the government for rejecting most of the amendments he had proposed, which included penalizing police officers who fail to act on complaints or provide security to witnesses.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, in a social media post, emphasized the urgent need for such laws, citing the alarming frequency of rapes in the country. He called on the central government to take decisive action, either through an ordinance or by amending the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), to ensure swift and severe justice for rape victims.

The bill also amends various sections of the BNS, 2023, including those related to punishment for rape, gang rape, and acid attacks, by incorporating the death penalty for perpetrators and imprisonment for those who disclose the identity of victims. Additionally, it proposes the omission of certain sections related to punishments for rape perpetrators based on age, seeking to universalize punishment regardless of the perpetrator's age or status.