Swati Maliwal says by attempting suicide, rapists doing what system should have done

Reacting to Nirbhaya rapist Vinay Sharma's suicide attempt, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal has said the former had done what the system should have done long ago, implying that he should have been hanged for his crime.

"What the system was supposed to do, the Nirbhaya rapist himself is trying to do now. Nirbhaya's rapists need to be given the death penalty and this needs to be done immediately," she told ANI.

On reports of Sharma's lawyer alleging that his client was being tortured by the jail authorities and that it was not a case of suicide but a murder attempt, Maliwal said these allegations should be investigated.

She also said that there is an immediate need to send a strong message in society that rapists will not be forgiven and that they will be awarded capital punishment for this heinous crime.

"It is extremely important that not just Nirbhaya's rapists, but every person who is committing a rape, needs to be given a death penalty. There needs to be a very strong message in the system that we will no longer tolerate rapes," she said.

She blamed the system for further victimizing women who face rape and said, "I had met Nirbhaya's mother very recently and she told me that despite the fact that Nirbhaya is dead, even now such humiliating questions are being asked in court that it's almost like I feel good that my daughter is dead and she doesn't have to face these humiliating questions as to how was she touched, did she actually go into.she wanted to get raped?"

"It is very sad that this is happening. The courts need to take cognizance and immediately we need to do something about it," Maliwal added.

Vinay Sharma, one of the four convicts sentenced to death for the rape and murder of Nirbhaya in a moving bus in Delhi in December 2012, attempted to commit suicide by hanging himself on Wednesday in Tihar Jail.

He is admitted to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, where he is recovering now.

His father Hari Ram Sharma, also, alleged that there is some "conspiracy" and that his son could have never attempted suicide.

He alleged that it was a failure of the jail administration and staff to provide adequate security to his son.

Police said Sharma appeared to have consumed some pills before using a towel to hang himself.

In March 2013, Ram Singh, another accused in the case, committed suicide by hanging in his cell, exposing the abysmal state of law and order inside the Tihar Jail.

Vinay, in 2013, had claimed that he was thrashed by other inmates and had demanded extra security.