India; The law to give death penalty to the accused of sexual rape was passed

KOLKATA: The assembly of the Indian state of West Bengal has approved a law in which rape accused can be sentenced to life imprisonment or hanging.

According to Indian media, the punishment for sexual assault in West Bengal has been increased from 10 years to life imprisonment or hanging. The move comes amid ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a lady doctor in Kolkata.

The police have detained an accused named Sanjay Rai who works as a volunteer in the police in this case.

It should be noted that the lady doctor, who was performing night shift duties in a hospital in Kolkata, had gone to sleep for some time in the lecturer’s hall for night rest.

At 4 o’clock in the night, the accused sexually assaulted and brutally murdered a sleeping lady doctor, upon which the doctors went on strike and nationwide protests erupted.

The West Bengal Assembly has introduced the law in light of the protesters’ demand to hang the accused, which is yet to be approved by the President.

However, even if the President does not approve it, the state has the power to make it a law.

For now, the new law in West Bengal is symbolic as the Indian Penal Code applies uniformly across the country.

It should be noted that according to the National Crime Records Bureau of India, the country reported an average of 90 cases of sexual assault per day in 2022, while the actual number may be much higher.