India seeks death penalty for rape of girls under 12

Indian demonstrators shout anti-government slogans at a protest in Srinagar on April 14, 2018 over the gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in northern India. (AFP)

• The decision to prescribe the death penalty for people convicted of raping girls under 12 follows an outrage over the rape and killing of an 8-year-old girl in Jammu-Kashmir.
• The Press Trust of India news agency reported that the ordinance is being sent to the president for approval.

New Delhi: India’s government has decided to prescribe the death penalty for people convicted of raping girls under the age of 12 to combat an increase in crimes against women.
The Press Trust of India news agency reported Saturday that the ordinance is being sent to the president for approval. It will require the approval of Parliament within six months in order the become law.
The decision follows an outrage over the recent brutal rape and killing of an 8-year-old girl in Jammu-Kashmir state and the alleged rape of a girl by a ruling party lawmaker in Uttar Pradesh state.
Countrywide protests following a 2012 New Delhi gang rape and murder case prompted the government to double prison terms for rapists to 20 years.