Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress, on Tuesday demanded stringent legislation to ensure convictions within 50 days of rapes.

Noting that the conviction rate in rape cases in India stood at 26 per cent, he shared on X a collage of 24 newspaper headlines from across the nation on sexual crimes and atrocities against women in the 15 days since the junior doctor’s rape and murder at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Calcutta on August 9.

“This collage stands as a STARK REMINDER of the STATE OF AFFAIRS IN INDIA OVER THE LAST 15 DAYS, as the nation fights for JUSTICE AGAINST RAPE,” read Abhishek’s post.

In 15 of the 24 incidents (nine of them reported from Uttar Pradesh alone) in the collage accompanying the post, the victims were minors.

“The ANSWER is clear: A stringent ANTI RAPE LAW that ensures TRIALS AND CONVICTIONS WITHIN 50 DAYS, followed by immediate and harsh punishment,” it added. “The SHOCKING TRUTH is that the CONVICTION RATE FOR RAPE cases in (India) is a dismal 26 percent. This translates to ONLY 26 CONVICTIONS OUT OF EVERY 100
REPORTED CASES, WHILE 74 OFFENDERS ESCAPE UNPUNISHED.”

This was the second such post by chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew in six days.

“If we are to deliver justice to the victims of this appalling crime, it is imperative that we demand A TIME BOUND ANTI RAPE LAW from our states and union government,” he wrote. “Anything else is futile, merely symbolic and ultimately ineffective!”

Abhishek’s post on August 22 was along similar lines.

He had said while the nation had been protesting against the RG Kar incident, 900 rapes had occurred in different parts of India.