Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi. (File)
Amid the massive outrage over the rape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Friday said: “I am deeply disturbed by the rape case in Kathua and all the recent rape cases that have happened on children. I and the ministry intend to bring an amendment to the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act asking for the death penalty for rape on children below 12 years”. The minister said this in a television interview on Friday.
Apart from a few Union ministers who have spoken up on the Kathua rape case, most BJP leaders have remained. On Thursday, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh had tweeted about the case advocating a punishment so severe “that we can make an example of them for generations”.
The rape and murder case of the eight-year-old girl in Kathua and the rape of a minor girl in Unnao by BJP MLA has shocked the nation with protests being organised in various places.
In recent months, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh have passed a Bill in their respective state assemblies approving capital punishment for rape of children below 12 years of age.