Injured in clash, BJP men to meet Kovind

Around 40 people, who were injured and allegedly not allowed to file nomination papers for the rural elections, are expected to meet President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday.

“They will narrate how they have faced atrocities at the hands of ruling Trinamool Congress supporters. There are injured people from different districts of Bengal,” said Rahul Sinha, BJP national secretary and former president of the party’s Bengal unit.

Leaders from BJP’s Bengal unit such as Mukul Roy, who is in charge of the polls; Rahul Sinha, national secretary; and Samik Bhattacharya, former MLA, will accompany the group when they meet the President.

Over the past few days, the war of words between BJP and Trinamool Congress leaders in Bengal has reached new heights. During a press conference on Monday, BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh remarked that Bengal is approaching a state where they could demand President’s rule.

Since nomination for the rural polls began on April 2, Opposition parties without exception have alleged that the ruling party workers have unleashed violence to prevent their candidates from submitting nomination papers. A total of seven people have lost their lives and hundreds injured during the nomination phase that took place on April 2 to 9 and April 23.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has maintained that the nomination phase was peaceful. “There are 58,000 booths in the state and there has been trouble only in seven. BJP was the trouble maker in all cases except one, where CPI(M) was the mischief maker,” she said.

KOLKATA:

SIGNIFICANCE

Following the government’s decision, an insertion will be made in section 376 of Indian Penal Code providing for death penalty for rape of a girl below 12 years and in case of gang rape of a girl below 16 years, death penalty for all the rapists. Along with the IPC, Section 42 of the POCSO Act will also be amended to allow the court to pronounce death penalty for those raping children below 12 years. In case of rape of a girl under 16 years, minimum punishment has been increased from 10 years to 20 years, extendable to imprisonment for life. The punishment for gang rape of a girl under 16 years of age will have a minimum punishment of imprisonment for life. Recently, the Rajasthan government approved a bill seeking death penalty for those convicted of raping girls under 12 years of age. Two other BJP ruled states — Madhya Pradesh and Haryana — have also given the go ahead for a similar law. According to National Law University Delhi’s Centre on the Death Penalty, globally 14 countries have death penalty law for child rapists.