Dev bats for new Bill to impose capital punishment for rapists

KOLKATA: This is not the first time that Tollywood celebs have joined the protests against the heinous rape and murder of a young doctor at RG Kar Hospital. On Saturday, the Bengali actors gathered once again in Tollygunge for a peaceful sit-in protest, demanding justice for the victim and her family. The protest was organised by the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists’ Forum and saw the participation of TMC MP and actor Dev, Rituparna Sengupta, Alokananda Roy, Roopa Ganguly, and others. Dev, whose father is currently admitted to a city hospital, called for the introduction of a new bill to impose capital punishment on rapists. The three-time TMC MP from Ghatal emphasised that the protests in Bengal could play a crucial role in making this new bill a reality.

“This incident has ignited a fire within all Bengalis, and we can make this new bill happen. A bill should be introduced to enforce capital punishment for rapists. The main goal of these protests must be to ensure this penalty is applied in all rape cases. I am confident that no parliamentarian would oppose such a bill,” said Dev, who faced criticism for not speaking out earlier on the RG Kar rape-murder case. Dev also pointed out how granting furloughs to rape convicts like Ram Rahim before elections sets a dangerous precedent, suggesting that rapists can evade justice. “We need to enforce capital punishment for rapists to instill fear and make it clear that no one can violate a woman’s consent,” he said. Actors like Shantilal Mukherjee, Chaiti Ghoshal, Arjun and Gaurav Chakraborty, Paoli Dam, Parambrata Chatterjee, and Tanushree also took part in the sit-in protest.