Maneka for death penalty in child rape cases
New Delhi, April 13: Following a public outrage over the gang rape of a minor girl in Jammu and Kashmirs Kathua, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi on Friday declared that her ministry intends 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 in 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.
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ED raids underway at five places in Kolkata over 'irregularities' in NRI quota medical admissions
Kolkata (PTI): Raids are underway by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at five locations in and around Kolkata on Tuesday in connection with its probe into the alleged irregularities in admission to private medical colleges under the non-resident Indian (NRI) quota, an official said.
ED sleuths started simultaneous raids in the Ballygunge area in the southern part of the city and New Town on the outskirts of the eastern metropolis, he said.
"We are conducting raids in connection with the irregularities in NRI quota admissions. There is a coaching centre in New Town which is being searched," a senior ED official said.
The central probe agency is investigating whether documents were forged to create false NRI credentials for admission of local Indian students in medical colleges in Odisha's Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.
