TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee.
Credit: PTI Photo
Kolkata: Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee called for introducing a Bill in Parliament to fast-track trial and conviction of rapists and murderers within a week, ensuring they receive exemplary punishment.
Banerjee's comments came soon after an administrative meeting at Amtala in his Diamond Harbour constituency in West Bengal.
Talking to reporters on Saturday, the TMC national general secretary criticised BJP leaders for protesting on the streets following the sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in a state-run hospital in Kolkata, urging them instead to press the Centre to pass a Bill for swift justice.
Banerjee said that the Trinamool Congress, as an opposition party, would support such a Bill, which would likely garner backing from other parties like the Congress and the Left.
He emphasised that such a law would prevent prolonged trials, which can last five to six years, and would save taxpayers' money by ensuring that rapists and murderers do not live in the society.
"These rapists, who don't deserve to live in the society, should be dealt with either through encounter or by hanging," Banerjee asserted.
Acknowledging the failure of political parties to prevent heinous crimes against women in cases like Hathras, Unnao, Manipur, the Nirbhaya case in Delhi, and incidents in West Bengal, Banerjee called for reforms in the justice system to ensure swift and fair trials for such crimes.
He criticised the Centre for being more focused on extending the tenure of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) through ordinances than on ensuring speedy justice in rape cases.
Commending the swift action of the police in arresting a suspect within 24 hours of the incident, Banerjee stressed the need for stricter security measures in hospitals, questioning the free movement of people after 10 pm.
He also hinted at an impending organisational overhaul within the TMC, extending his earlier three-month deadline for action against party members not adhering to its principles to five months due to the festive season.
In response, BJP state president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar accused Banerjee of trying to deflect attention from the state's failure to ensure women's safety in hospitals, calling his comments a desperate attempt to manage mounting public anger over the incident.
Majumdar criticised Banerjee's remarks, likening them to advocating for vigilante justice in a "banana republic," which he said has no place in India.