MP Assembly removes girls to debate rape cases

■ Cong MLA brings to notice presence of students in visitors’ gallery

◗ The House was debating on the latest report of NCRB in which MP figured top among the states in the country on incidence of rapes ◗ The students from Shajapur district were visiting the Assembly to watch the proceedings

In an unprecedented move, the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Friday asked the girl students, who were watching proceedings of the House from the visitors’ gallery, to go out to allow the members to debate on the issue of growing incidents of rape and other crimes against women in the state.

Congress Govind Singh attention of Sitasharam Sharma on the presence of girl students in the visitors’ gallery in the House while initiating a debate on the latest report of National Crime Record Bureau ( NCRB) in which MP figured top among the states in the country on incidence of rapes witnessed in 2016, and suggested that the matter should not be discussed in their presence.

Responding to the Congress legislator’s request, the Speaker ordered to move the girl students out of the Assembly during the discussion on the sensitive issue in the House.

The girl students hailing from Shajapur district in MP were visiting the Assembly on Friday to watch proceedings of the House.

Later, Mr Singh attributed political interference in postings of police officers to growing incidents of crimes against women in the state.

The House was likely to resume debate on the issue on Monday.

Later, talking to reporters, state home minister Bhupendra Singh said the figure of rape cases was high because the state registered every complaint and in 90 per cent cases, the accused were chargesheeted.

He said the state government has initiated steps to curb crimes against women. He said a Bill was tabled in the MP Assembly on Thursday seeking death penalty for rapists of children below 12.

According to the NCRB report, in 2016, 26,604 cases of crime against women were registered in MP which included 4,882 rapes.