Union women and child development minister Annapurna Devi has shot off another letter to Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on the steps to enforce laws to protect women.

In response to Mamata’s second letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday demanding a stringent law against rape, Devi wrote: “As regards, stringent legislations and exemplary punishment on heinous crimes like rape/rape and murder, I reiterate my earlier communication conveying that stringent punishments for rape/rape with murder already exist in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.”

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties has also slammed Mamata for demanding the death penalty for rape.

The BJP minister added in her reply on Friday: “In spite of the pendency of 48,600 rape and Pocso cases in West Bengal, the state has not operationalised additional 11 FTSCs (fast track special courts) which may be exclusive Pocso courts or combined FTSCs dealing with both rape and Pocso cases, as per the state’s requirement….”

“As may be seen, the information contained in your letter in this regard is factually incorrect and appears to be a step in the direction to cover up the delays in operationalising the FTSCs by the state.”