Union minister Maneka Gandhi for death penalty in child rape cases

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Maneka Gandhi on Friday declared that her ministry intended to amend the POCSO Act making provision for death penalty in child rape cases

Updated At : 04:37 PM Apr 13, 2018 IST

Maneka Gandhi. PTI file

New Delhi, April 13

Following a public outrage over the gang-rape of a minor girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi on Friday declared that her ministry intended to amend the POCSO Act, making provision for death penalty in child rape cases.

“I have been deeply, deeply disturbed by the rape case in Kathua and all the recent rape cases that have happened on children.

“I and the (Women and Child Development) Ministry intend to bring an amendment to the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act asking for the death penalty for rape on children below 12 years,” the WCD minister said in a video message.

Eight people, including mastermind Sanji Ram, have been charged with abduction, rape and murder of the eight-year-old girl from the Bakerwal community at Rasana village in January.

Investigations have revealed that the girl was held in a temple, drugged, repeatedly raped and finally murdered to scare the nomadic Muslim community out of the village. IANS