Crimes against women are “unpardonable”, Prime Minister Modi asserted on Sunday and urged all states to accord top priority to women’s safety. “Safety of women is very important… Not only should the culprit get severe punishment, but those who try to protect them should also be dealt with strictly,” he said at the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan organised for self-help groups in Jalgaon.
Though Modi did not mention any specific case, his remarks are significant in the wake of the recent rape-murder of a resident doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and the sexual assault of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur, which triggered protests. “I can understand the anger and pain among women when such acts take place,” Modi said. He warned that the police, doctors and school representatives who protect the culprits should not be spared. “The message should go from top to bottom that such acts will not be tolerated.”
‘Crimes against women must be dealt with strictly’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday underlined the responsibility of state governments, political parties and society at large to prevent crimes against women. “Governments will come and go, but crimes against women must be dealt with strictly at all costs,” he said at a Lakhpati Didi Sammelan organised for self-help groups in Jalgaon in north Maharashtra. He assured that the Centre was ready to support state governments in tackling such crimes.
Modi also highlighted new provisions in the Indian Civil Defence Code that ensure stringent penalties, including death penalty and life imprisonment, for crimes against women. “In my mission of a developed India, the women of the country are playing a vital role and therefore, they need to be empowered more. But at the same time, there is a need to ensure their safety and security,” he said.
