KOLKATA: In response to weeks of intense protests over the rape and murder of a doctor, an Indian state has introduced a law that could impose the death penalty for rapists.
The unrest began in West Bengal following the discovery of the bloodied body of a 31-year-old doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
The new legislation, passed by the state assembly but pending presidential approval, aims to address the persistent problem of violence against women. If enacted, it would increase the minimum punishment for rape from 10 years to either life imprisonment or execution.
While the law’s impact may be symbolic due to the uniform criminal code across India, its approval could set a significant precedent for West Bengal.
The doctor’s death triggered widespread strikes by medical professionals and large-scale public rallies across India, although many doctors have since returned to work.
Protests in West Bengal have escalated into clashes between supporters of the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both parties have supported the new law.
The brutal nature of the attack has evoked comparisons to the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in Delhi.
