Madhya Pradesh: Gun licence for rape victims, other women who faced sexual harassment

Correspondent

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL: Gun licenses will be given to victims of rape and sexual harassment in Madhya Pradesh. The idea has appealed to Minister for Women and Child Welfare Department.

The minister, Archana Chitnis while explaining the proposal said that steps to ensure women safety needs to be taken. She said that whoever is eligible for it would be given a gun license but priority would be given to the rape victims.

“We would also like to take opinion on it from various segments of society,” said Chitnis. WCD department feels that providing security to rape victim round the clock is not possible.

It is observed that the accused is released on bail and try to exert pressure on the survivor for withdrawal of case or to change statements in the court. Providing a gun license to the victim would deter such incidents.

The proposal is in its initial stage and details are being worked out, added the minister. There has been a spate in rape incidents in Madhya Pradesh. Several cases of putting pressure on victims too have been reported.

Congress has criticized WCD’s proposal. Congress spokesperson, KK Mishra said that priority of the government should be to provide security in general to all citizens of the state so that such incidents do not happen.

It means that the government somewhere has accepted that it could not stop rape and provide security to its citizens. Madhya Pradesh records more than 4,000 rapes in a year. In fact, the state tops when it comes to incidents of rapes among all the states in the country. The state has been holding this ignominious record for many years now.