Karnataka police asked to book rapists under Goondas Act

The Karnataka government is contemplating amending laws to ensure that rapists do not get bail and police have been directed to book them under the Goondas Act and take steps to prevent atrocities, including rape, against women, chief minister Jagadish Shettar said today.

Outlining measures being initiated by the government for women's safety against the backdrop of the Delhi gang-rape incident, Shettar said police have also been directed to deal sternly with rapists.

He was speaking after inaugurating a meeting of elected women panchayat members of BJP, organised by the party Women's Morcha in Bangalore.

In another development, minister for energy Shobha Karandlaje called on Shettar and urged him to take steps to check atrocities against women.

The lone woman minister in the BJP government discussed the recent incident of a young housewife being lured in Chikkaballapur by some persons, who not only raped her, but also sold her to a brothel in Delhi.

Shobha, who had earlier written a letter to Shettar seeking more steps for women's safety, also requested him to direct police to check trafficking of women and keep a vigil on cases of girls going missing.

Shobha said she discussed various issues concerning women's safety with the chief minister.

Speaking at the function, Shettar asked women to imbibe leadership qualities and exhorted the delegates to undertake door-to-door campaign to inform people about the welfare programmes implemented by BJP government in Karnataka ahead of the assembly elections.

Under the 'Bhagyalakshmi girl child insurance scheme', the state has spent Rs2,200 crore which benefitted 15 lakh beneficiaries,he said.

State unit women's wing president Rina Prakash, vice-president Sulochana Bhat, actress Tara Anuradha, MLC and others were present.