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| Sunday, 1 December 2002 |
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Indian defence minister joins death-for-rapist chorus NEW DELHI, Saturday (AFP) Defence Minister George Fernandes Friday joined a rising call to apply the death penalty to rapists, saying Chinese-style execution would be suitable in India where a women is molested every hour. The outspoken defence minister's remarks came on a visit to the southern city of Bangalore. "I not only support that (death to rapist) idea but I would like to insist that the Chinese model of strict punishment be adopted," he said. The speed at which the Chinese justice system moves should be a model for India, Fernandes said, as should the Chinese custom of asking the family of the accused to "pay for the bullet used for killing the man." "I think in the case of rapists, I recommend that we do that," said Fernandes, who was behind souring Sino-Indian ties four years ago by describing China as India's enemy number one. Earlier this week, India's Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani said he supported the death penalty for rapists, after national outrage over a streetside gang rape of a medical student in the capital in broad daylight. Existing laws mandate a maximum of a life sentence for sex crimes, although India rarely exercises its legal option of sentencing convicts to death by hanging. The November 5 gang rape of the 24-year-old medical student highlighted rampant sexual crimes. Newspapers reported a string of rape and molestations across India in the preceding days. According to women's groups, a woman is raped every hour in India, with those from lower castes or tribal origin at greatest risk. The New Delhi rape, which occurred less than a kilometre (mile) from police headquarters, even stalled business in parliament for two days last week. |
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