Junior doctors hold posters during a protest to demand the resignation of a city police commissioner and condemn the rape and murder of a medic, in Kolkata on September 2, 2024. AFP
Junior doctors hold posters during a protest to demand the resignation of a city police commissioner and condemn the rape and murder of a medic, in Kolkata on September 2, 2024. AFP
Junior doctors hold posters during a protest to demand the resignation of a city police commissioner and condemn the rape and murder of a medic, in Kolkata on September 2, 2024. AFP
Junior doctors hold posters during a protest to demand the resignation of a city police commissioner and condemn the rape and murder of a medic, in Kolkata on September 2, 2024. AFP

India's West Bengal state proposes death penalty for rape after doctor's murder


Taniya Dutta
  • English
  • Arabic

India’s state of West Bengal on Tuesday passed an anti-rape bill to make sexual assaults punishable by death in cases where the victim dies or is left in a vegetative state, after weeks of protests over the rape and murder of a junior doctor at a local government-run hospital.

The Aparajita Women and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) 2024 also proposes the creation of a special task force, investigative teams at district level, and dedicated fast-track courts for sexual assault cases.

The bill will be sent to the state governor and then to India's President Droupadi Murmu to be signed into law.

Medical students, doctors and citizens march to the police headquarters in Kolkata on Monday in a protest over the rape and murder of a doctor at a city hospital. EPA
Medical students, doctors and citizens march to the police headquarters in Kolkata on Monday in a protest over the rape and murder of a doctor at a city hospital. EPA

The bill was passed nearly a month after a 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the state capital.

Her body was discovered in the hospital’s seminar room on August 9 with 16 external and nine internal injuries, including signs of strangulation, according to a postmortem report.

“Rape is a curse against humanity and social reforms are required to stop such crimes,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said while tabling the bill in the state legislative assembly.

“The anti-rape bill aims at quick investigation, fast justice delivery and enhanced punishment. Through this bill, we have tried to plug the loopholes that exist in the central legislation.”

Ms Banerjee said her government would spend one billion rupees ($12 million) to build restrooms for staff and install lighting systems and surveillance cameras at healthcare institutions.

One person has been arrested in the Kolkata case, which led to nationwide protests and strike action by junior and trainee doctors. The case has been handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation, a federal agency.

Meanwhile, the former principal of the RG Kar Medical College, Sandip Ghosh, was taken into custody by the CBI in a parallel investigation. He is accused of financial irregularities at the hospital and resigned three days after the doctor's rape and murder.

India's federal laws on sexual assault were amended and stricter punishments introduced after the 2012 gang rape of a physiotherapy student in New Delhi that led to her death.

However, government data shows that an average of nearly 90 rapes were reported daily in 2022 in the country of 1.4 billion people.

The central government promised in 2017 to set up 1,800 fast-track courts for sexual assault cases but only 722 have been started, with nearly 600,000 cases pending before them.

According to the National Criminal Records Bureau, the conviction rate in rape cases between 2018 and 2022 was 27-28 per cent.

'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

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Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi

Based: Abu Dhabi

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Living in...

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Important questions to consider

1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?

There are different types of travel available for pets:

  • Manifest cargo
  • Excess luggage in the hold
  • Excess luggage in the cabin

Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.

 

2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?

If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.

If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.

 

3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?

As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.

If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty. 

If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport. 

 

4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?

This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.

In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.

 

5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?

Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.

Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.

Source: Pawsome Pets UAE

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Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.

A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.

The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.

Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.

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Updated: September 03, 2024, 3:25 PM`