_:n42c0a04560584f4b84dcacecc48ade93xb0
<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"NEW DELHI: Expressing worry and pain over continuing crimes against women, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech called for swift probe in all such cases and harsh punishment including death penalty as a deterrent for others disposed to committing such \"demonic acts\".\"The fear of punishment must be instilled among the perpetrators... Those who commit such demonic acts should realise that they will be hanged to death,\" said PM in his I-Day speech which followed the countrywide outrage over the brutal rape and murder of a woman doctor in a Kolkata hospital and alleged cover up by authorities.He urged the country, society, and the state governments to \"address this matter with utmost urgency\".The endorsement of death penalty for \"demonic\" acts like brutal rapes - perhaps the first by a PM in an Independence Day speech - comes amid a campaign to abolish the death penalty even for crimes falling in the \"rarest-of-rare\" category, the threshold devised by Supreme Court for minimising its use. While making his pitch for the capital punishment, PM referred to anger and frustration among women over continuing brutalities against them. \"Today, from the Red Fort, I once again express my pain. As a society, we will have to think seriously about the atrocities against our mothers, sisters, and daughters. There is anger among common people because of this. I can feel that rage,\" he said.The PM also stressed the need to amplify not just the news and discussion on the crime but also cases of punishment to ensure deterrence. He said, \"When a person of such demonic tendency is punished, it does not make headlines. It is the need of the hour that extensive discussion on those receiving punishment is held so that those committing this sin understand that this crime leads to hanging (death penalty). I feel it is very important to instil this fear,\" he said.In the past 28 years, as many as six convicts have been hanged for rape-cum-murder cases - Kanta Prasad Tiwari in 1997, Dhananjoy Chatterjee in 2004 and four convicts in Nirbhaya murder cases in 2020. The Supreme Court had endorsed capital punishment in all these cases.The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 (BNS) that has replaced the Indian Penal Code provides for life imprisonment or death penalty in case of gangrape of girls below the age of 18 years and rape of girls under 12 years. All gangrape cases are punishable with imprisonment up to 20 years or life imprisonment.While talking about taking pride in the history behind the freedom struggle, the PM highlighted that it is important to note that the govt has replaced the criminal laws - the IPC, CrPC and the Indian Evidence Act that had their roots in the pre-Independence British era with three new laws overhauling the criminal justice system. He said that the new laws are not just about punitive measures but strengthen the resolve for ensuring justice for the common man."
<https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-must-instil-dread-of-death-in-those-who-perpetrate-crimes-against-women/articleshow/112552362.cms>