Criticism On West Bengal's Anti-Rape Bill

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan criticized the anti-rape bill passed by the West Bengal assembly calling it a "diversionary tactic." He questioned whether the law would lead to the death penalty for accused individuals like Sheikh Shahjahan, involved in the Sandeshkhali sexual abuse case. 

Chouhan argued that the bill enacted under pressure aims to divert attention from other incidents like the R G Kar hospital rape-murder case. He questioned why the law wasn’t introduced earlier and accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of using it as a distraction. 

The controversy stems from Shahjahan's alleged crimes and his arrest after a raid by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Sandeshkhali. The West Bengal assembly passed the 'Aparajita Woman and Child Bill 2024,' which proposes the death penalty for rape convicts if the victim dies or is left in a vegetative state, and life imprisonment without parole for other offenders.