Capital punishment for rape approved

Dainik Business File: অক্টোবর ১৩, ২০২০

In the wake of a wave of protests over the recent spike in countrywide rape incidents, President Abdul Hamid has promulgated an ordinance increasing the maximum punishment in rape cases to death penalty from life imprisonment.

The president inked the ordinance under his constitutional powers at his Bangabhaban residence on Tuesday.

This comes just a day after the cabinet cleared the amendment to the Prevention of Women and Children Repression Act 2000.

On October 5, anti-rape demonstrations erupted across Bangladesh after video footage of five men stripping a woman naked and gang-raping her in Noakhali’s Begumganj upazila went viral on social media the day before.

The heinous incident took place at the Joykrishnapur village under Ekhlaspur union of Begumganj upazila in Noakhali on September 2.

According to Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), nearly 1,000 rape cases were reported between January and September this year, including 208 gang rapes.