UP Minister Azam Khan wants rapists to be stoned

Chandigarh/Indore: As the Centre and states worked on new measures in the wake of the Delhi gangrape episode, Punjab on Wednesday decided to launch exclusive "night police" units while senior Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan demanded that rapists be stoned to death.

The responses to sexual assault cases came even as a rash of rape incidents were reported in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh and a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) allegedly attempted to rape a passenger in an AC coach on the Gorakhpur-bound Purabia Express. The TTE, who belonged to the Lucknow Division, has been arrested and suspended.

"The state government is shortly launching night police in the state which will only operate during night hours," Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also holds the Home portfolio, told reporters in Chandigarh.

The state government will create 'special units' for the purpose of night patrolling, he said, adding, the night police will work at all district levels. "At present the duty hours of policemen are long and by late night the cops go to sleep," he said, adding, the night police staff will function during the night time only.

Besides, police is also launching quick response teams for rural areas. Badal said the government would soon recruit women at the level of DSPs and Inspectors in the police department.

Meanwhile in Uttar Pradesh, Khan, a prominent Samajwadi Party leader, while demanding that rapists be "stoned" to death in public as per Islamic law, said capital punishment is much less for such a heinous crime. Advocating reverting to 'Sangsar', punishment by stoning, Khan made these comments during an interaction with reporters in Mainpuri.

"The capital punishment is much less for an offence like rape. The rapist should be beaten to death by stoning as per Islamic law Sangsar," Khan said.

In the train incident, the TTE allegedly misbehaved with a girl and attempted to rape her, the girl's father alleged in his police complaint in Moradabad. She and two of her classmates were travelling from Delhi to Gorakhpur in one of the AC coaches.