West Bengal Govt calls special session to pass anti-rape Bill

New Delhi, August 29

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A two-day special session of the West Bengal assembly has been convened on September 2 to table and pass a Bill which will recommend capital punishment to convicted rapists, West Bengal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay said.

The Bill will be tabled for discussion and passing on Tuesday. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced yesterday that an amendment to existing laws will be passed in a specially convened assembly session to ensure capital punishment for convicted rapists.

The rape and murder of a post-graduate woman student in state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata earlier this month has thrown Bengal into social and political turmoil.

“I am not aware of the title of the Bill yet. But it will be tabled on Tuesday for discussion and passage by members. So far, we are convening a two-day special session which could be extended if additional businesses for the House are included later,” West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee said.

The monsoon session of the Bengal assembly was adjouned sine die on August 5. Chattopadhyay said since the session was not prorogued, Governor’s permission to reconvene the House would not be necessary.

The CM said she would stage a dharna outside Raj Bhawan here if the Governor delays in giving his approval to the amended Bill or forwards it to the President for review.

Meanwhile, Mamata asserted that she did not threaten junior doctors at state-run hospitals, who have been continuing cease-work for 21 days now to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a woman medic. She said accusations that have come from certain quarters of her threatening the agitating junior doctors are “completely false” and part of a “malicious disinformation campaign”.