Karnataka Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao Calls for Stronger Laws to Protect Women After Kolkata Incident

Karnataka Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has called for stronger laws to protect women following the tragic rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. In response, the Karnataka government has established a committee to review the safety of women in hospitals.

Rao emphasized the importance of safety and security for women, stating, “Safety and security for women are very important. Laws should also be strengthened. After the West Bengal case, we have constituted a committee to look into the safety of women in hospitals and how we can enhance it. We have to keep women safe. In our society, women are always targeted and exploited by men. To address this, strong laws should be enacted.”

The incident in Kolkata sparked nationwide protests, leading to the West Bengal Assembly unanimously passing the ‘Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) 2024’. This bill includes provisions for increased punishment for sexual crimes against women and mandates that investigations into rape cases must be concluded within 24 days of the initial report.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended her support for the bill, stating, “I had written two letters to the Prime Minister, but I did not receive any reply from him; instead, I received a response from the Minister of Women and Child Development. I also replied to her response and informed the Prime Minister. When the Code of Justice Bill was passed hastily before the elections, I had said that it should not be passed in a hurry; the states were not consulted. I had opposed it many times as no advice was taken from the states in this regard; it should have been passed after discussions with the Rajya Sabha, the opposition, and all the parties, but this was not done. That is why today we are bringing this bill to ensure the protection of women. If Bengal is mistreated, then it will have a spillover effect.”