New measures needed to protect rural women: Trinamool MP

Observing that there is a need to "think of new measures to ensure the protection of women in rural areas", Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy Wednesday said there is a marked difference in the extent of protests against crimes targeting women in rural and urban areas.

Roy was comparing the country-wide protests following the brutal Delhi gang-rape incident Dec 16 last year to the relatively low scale protest against the June 7 gang-rape case in Barasat (25 km from Kolkata) where a 20-year-old college student was abducted, gang-raped and murdered.

"I have not seen similar protest against the incidents occurring in the rural areas. It is a matter of mind-set. Are we protesting similarly against the incidents occurring in the rural areas as we are doing in urban areas?"

The MP sounded hopeful about the West Bengal government introducing new initiatives to protect women in rural areas.

"It is not possible to patrol all the areas, but we have to think of new measures to ensure the protection of women in rural areas. I am sure that the government is thinking on this.I hope the accused will be arrested as the accused have been arrested in much severe cases," Roy added.