The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Sunday, 7 August, pulled up Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for his alleged statement over the rape law in the country, and said that the Congress leader should not use the language of rapists.
"Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot should stop using the language of rapists, the way he made fun of Nirbhaya has hurt the sentiment of rape victims," DCW chief Swati Maliwal said.
Her statement comes after Rajasthan CM, while addressing a press conference in Delhi on Friday, said that that the cases of murder after rape have increased in the country following the law providing death sentence for rape convicts came into force.
“Ever since the death penalty (for rape convicts) is brought after Nirbhaya incident, the murders after rape have increased. The rapist sees that the girl will become a witness tomorrow, so he not only rapes but also kills her. This is happening across the country. This is a very dangerous trend,” Gehlot said.
Slamming his remarks, DCW Chairperson said, "We struggled a lot to bring the law that rapists of small children be hanged. Instead of making such useless remarks, it's the responsibility of the politicians to implement the law stringently," she added.
Union Minister Slams Gehlot
A number of BJP leaders also slammed Gehlot for his remark.
"This statement of Gehlot ji appears to be an appeal to forgive the rapists by considering them innocent. Only they can tell why they have sympathy for the demons, but if the chief minister makes such ruthless statements, those who keep an evil eye on daughters-in-law and daughters will be encouraged and our daughters will think a hundred times before stepping out of the house!" said Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Lokesh Sharma, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to CM Gehlot defended him claiming that BJP's IT cell is trying to present things in distorted manner.
"Listen and understand...CM Gehlot expressed concern over the increasing trend of murder of rape victims across the country. The form in which he spoke is being made a matter of controversy without any reason. He called it a dangerous trend which is a matter of concern for all," Sharma was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
As per National Crime Records Bureau 2020, Rajasthan registered the highest number of rape cases in the country followed by Uttar Pradesh. However, the data shows that there has been an 11.45 percent decline in comparison to 2019.
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