Tougher laws announced after a series of rapes in northern India

Tougher laws announced after a series of rapes in northern India

2011-06-22 23:51:18 GMT+7 (ICT)

UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (BNO NEWS) -- The chief minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh announced tougher laws on Wednesday to deal with crime after a series of disturbing rape cases were reported in the last week, the Hindustan Times reported on Wednesday.

Chief minister Mayawati said her government has decided to initiate amendments in the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Penal Code to ensure rape trials are completed within six months and that rape is made a non-bailable offense. The recommendations have been forwarded to the governor.

"Characterless people will run for their lives under the BSP [party]," Mayawati said. "They will face such stringent action that no one will dare repeat such acts." She also called a meeting on June 27 and said police stations will run a month-long campaign to reform 'characterless' people.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a 17-year-old who was raped allegedly by her friend's brothers committed suicide in Baghpat district. It followed the brutal rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Sitapur district on Monday.

On Sunday, a 35-year-old mother of two was set on fire in Etah, around 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the state capital. She was allegedly gang-raped earlier in the day and had identified the rapists. A teenager was also raped and killed in Gonda district on Sunday, while a 14-year-old girl was raped in the Sirsaganj village of Firozabad district.

In addition to those attacks, a woman in Kanpur district claimed she was held captive in a hotel for three days and gang raped. Police however have denied such thing took place. And in another case, a woman was shot at when she resisted a rape attempt in Farrukhabad district.

Also disturbing, a 14-year-old girl in Kannauj district was stabbed in her eye on Friday when she resisted against two high school students who were attempting to rape her. Days earlier, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped and hanged inside a police station premise in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

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