Farooq Abdullah wants bill to award death penalty for raping minors

Opposition National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah today demanded a special session of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to bring in a bill to award capital punishment to those who rape minors.

Abdullah's comment comes in the backdrop of a nationwide condemnation of the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua.

"Capital punishment must be brought in for such cases," Abdullah told reporters here.

"She (Kathua rape victim) is just like my daughter. Thank God, today the nation has woken up and they have taken it very seriously. I hope justice will be done and we will bring a bill in the Assembly session wherein (if) any such incident takes place, the hanging must be brought in," he said.

The NC president said the PDP-BJP government should call a special session of the state legislature to pass the bill which would act as a deterrent against such crimes.

Let the government call a special session of the Assembly just for this thing. When the special session of the Assembly is called and this bill is passed, it will be a great thing for the future such crimes will not take place," Abdullah said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has also said her government would bring a new law to make the death penalty mandatory for those who rape minors.

"We will never ever let another child suffer in this way. We will bring a new law that will make the death penalty mandatory for those who rape minors," Mehbooba said in a tweet on April 12.