Amid the outcry over recent child rape cases across the country, minister of state for finance Santosh Gangwar on Sunday said public should not make a fuss over one or two incidents as all crimes cannot be prevented.
While speaking to reporters, Gangwar said: "Aisi ghatnaye (rape cases) durbhagyapurn hoti hain, par kabhi kabhi roka nahi ja sakta hai. Sarkarsakriya hai sab jagah, karyavahi kar rahi hai. Itne bade desh mein ek do ghatna ho jaye to baat ka kabatangad nahi banana chahiye (Such cases are unfortunate, but sometimes cannot be prevented. Governments everywhere are alert and action is being taken. We should not make a fuss if one or two such incidents take place in a vast country)."
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However, on social media, Gangwar welcomed the ordinance on the death penalty for child abuse.
"I welcome the provision of death penalty for rape of any girl below 12 years and increasing punishment from 10 to 20 years if a girl below 16 years is violated. This will help in bringing deterrence in society. All of us have to stand up against this crime," he tweeted on Sunday.
The Union cabinet on Saturday approved an ordinance to allow courts to award death penalty to those convicted of raping children up to 12 years of age.
The criminal law amendment ordinance seeks to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Evidence Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to introduce a new provision to sentence convicts of such crimes punishment of death.
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Child rights activists across the country, however, have come out against the government's decision to amend the POCSO Act for this purpose.
