New Delhi: Amid widespread protests and expression of anger by lawmakers in both Houses of Parliament, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde announced setting up a high-power committee to review safety of women in the Indian capital.
The committee will be headed by the federal Home Secretary Raj Kumar Singh.
Shinde outlined the government plans to increase safety of women and said the special committee will evaluate the overall situation, what can be done to make the city safe for women, changes required to be made by taking into account the suggestions made by lawmakers in both Houses.
According to Shinde, the routes normally used by women at night are being identified. Patrolling by police vans and motorcycle-borne policemen would be intensified on all such routes.
Call centres situated in suburban Gurgaon and Noida have been already been instructed to ensure women workers at night duty are not just dropped on the main roads but are escorted till their door-steps.
The Home Minister agreed with suggestion made by the members that the trial of the accused be conducted by a fast-track court to ensure speedy justice.
Four of the six accused, including the prime accused Ram Singh, have already been arrested while police teams have fanned out to various states to arrest the two accused who are on the run. Ram Singh was produced in local court which sent him on five-day police custody.
Shinde also promised strict action against policemen when members questioned how the police vans patrolling major streets failed to notice the crime that took place for close to one hour while the bus kept moving on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.
Various women lawmakers also demanded changing laws to give death sentence and life imprisonment to the rapists.
Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj demanded death penalty for rapists. ”The 23-year-old girl was with a male friend and it was not too late either. It was 9.30 pm. And if a woman is not safe even then, then it is a shame. If this girl survives, she will be a living dead. These people should be given capital punishment,” Swaraj said.
Samajwadi Party lawmaker Jaya Bachchan broke down while condemning the gang rape.
