Haryana govt passes bill to hang those guilty of raping girls under 12

The Haryana Assembly on Thursday passed a bill seeking to give capital punishment to those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 years or below. Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the law would prove to be a milestone in protecting the girl child. 

Earlier the government gave its nod to the proposal to bring in a legislation that would award death penalty to those guilty of raping girls of 12 years or less.

It decided to amend the legal provisions like section 376 A (Intercourse by a man with his wife during separation), 376D (rape by one or more persons constituting a group), 354 (Assault or criminal force against woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 354 D(2) (stalking) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In January, the Haryana government was severely criticised after five incidents of sexual assault were reported in the state in five days.Rajasthan passed a similar law on March 9, and Madhya Pradesh in December 2017.