Punjab CM hails ordinance on death penalty for rapists of girls below 12 years

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today hailed as a revolutionary and necessary step an ordinance, approved by the Union Cabinet, to provide stringent punishment, including death penalty, for those convicted of rape of girls below 12 years, saying it would check such incidents across the country.

Such criminals are a blot on the face of humanity and deserve no mercy, he said, adding that he was all for exemplary punishment in cases of rape of minors.

The measure would act as a deterrent to the heinous crime, which had shaken the nation to the core in recent months, the chief minister said in a statement.

While any incident of rape or sexual molestation was unacceptable in the Indian society, which has traditionally worshipped girls and women as goddesses, the rape of minors violates the basic tenets of humanity, Singh said.

No sane society can tolerate such a situation, where rape of minors, including babies less than a year old, was being reported every other day, he said.

"The perversity which allows a man to commit the kind of atrocities that Kathua victim was subjected to, deserves the harshest punishment," he said.

"There can be no justification, no excuse, to protect a man who can take advantage of the vulnerabilities of a child under 12, who is not even aware of her own sexuality," the chief minister said.

The warped psyche of such a man makes him a threat to all that humanity holds dear, and it is left to the society to protect the children under its care, Singh said, reacting to the Union Cabinet's decision.

Singh said it was the government"s duty not only to protect its citizens from external aggression and internal strife, but also from atrocities of any kind, and the government was empowered to take all necessary steps for this purpose.

The Haryana Assembly had unanimously passed a Bill in March providing death penalty to those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 years or less.