Mamata to pass bill to ensure death punishment for rapists in 10 days

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced that she will call an assembly session next week and pass a Bill within 10 days to ensure capital punishment for rapists. She said, "We will send this Bill to the Governor. If he doesn't pass, we will sit outside Raj Bhavan."

"This Bill must be passed and he cannot evade accountability this time," she said while speaking on the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Mamata Banerjee said that for such a crime, there is only one punishment - "to hang till death."

TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee said that if a time-bound legislation about the crimes against women is not passed by the Centre in the next 3-4 months, then he will hold a big movement in Delhi.

However, West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar said there was already a law on crime against women but its implementation was not happening in Bengal. He also said that Mamata Banerjee was responsible for the violence in the state. 

Mamata Banerjee's first public rally comes on the day the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called a 12-hour Bandh. BJP leader Bappa Chatterjeesaid the Bandh has been called for two reasons - the RG Kar incident and police action against the protesters on Tuesday.