Deep anguish and outrage over the gangrape case of a young photojournalist in Mumbai was expressed in Lok Sabha on Saturday, as members voiced concern that such incidents continue despite laws being made stringent. Even the government shared the views expressed by the members with minister for parliamentary affairs Kamal Nath announcing that the home minister will make a statement on the issue in the House on Monday. He said despite stringent laws, such crimes continued to take place.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Gopinath Munde (BJP) said the Centre should seek a report from the state government and a statement should be made in the House as law and order situation in Maharashtra was bad. But members from treasury benches objected to his remarks.
Mr Munde said besides the gangrape, there have been several cases of crime against women in the state, which have remained unsolved so far.
He said no money has been sanctioned so far for the proposed `1,000-crore Nirbhaya fund announced by the Centre a few months ago.
When Sougata Roy (TMC) raised the gangrape issue, some Congress members were heard saying that he should be worried about similar cases taking place in his party-ruled West Bengal. He said the accused in all cases of crime against women have been arrested by the West Bengal police.
Unattached SP member Jaya Prada said that after the Delhi gangrape case, Parliamentarians had united to pass Criminal Law (Amendment) Law. But despite that, crimes against women have continued unabated, she said.
When she claimed that only one of the accused in the Mumbai case has been arrested so far, Congress members from Maharashtra were quick to point that not one but two persons have been arrested.