TMC Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien on Saturday moved a Private Member’s Bill in the upper house of the parliament for women who get harassed and abused online. The bill seeks to amend certain provisions of the IT Act, 2000, criminalising all forms of online abuse directed against women.
The TMC leader took to Twitter to share a clip from Rajya Sabha where he had introduced the Bill to penalise online abuse against women. “There is no place for predators and misogynists on the internet. This NEW Bill is for WOMEN WHO GET HARASSED AND ABUSED ONLINE. Introduced my Private Member’s Bill amending IT Act 2000. These amendments criminalise all forms of online abuse against women,” he tweeted.
In #Parliament
— Derek O’Brien | ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) August 6, 2022
There is no place for predators and misogynists on the internet. This NEW Bill is for WOMEN WHO GET HARRASSED AND ABUSED ONLINE.
Introduced my Private Member’s Bill amending IT Act 2000. These amendments criminalise all forms of online abuse against women. pic.twitter.com/opF2o2NJ5t
Calcutta HC raps TMC govt for demonstrating “casual attitude” in serious matters such as rapes, murders of women during post-poll violence in Bengal
While Derek O’Brien moved a bill seeking criminalisation of online harassment and abuse of women, it is notable to point out the scathing observations the Calcutta High Court had made against the TMC-led West Bengal government over the heinous crimes committed against women, rapes and murders during the post-poll violence that erupted in the wake of election results in May 2021 after Mamata Banerjee returned to power. Having little confidence on the state-led probe, the court transferred the case to CBI.
A five-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, Justice IP Mukerji, Justice Harish Tandon, Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Subrata Talukdar pronounced the judgement in a batch of petitions alleging Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government’s inaction over the brutal acts of violence unleashed by members of ruling Trinamool Congress in the aftermath of assembly elections.
In its scathing order, the Calcutta High Court ordered that the HC will monitor the CBI investigation into the post-poll violence in the state. The Calcutta HC also pulled the state for demonstrating a “casual attitude in a serious matter”.
“The Committee, NHRC, any other Commission or Authority, and the State shall immediately hand over the entire record of the cases entrusted to the CBI for investigation. It is made clear that it shall be a Court-monitored investigation. Any obstruction in the course of investigation by anyone shall be viewed seriously”, the Calcutta High Court observed.
Women in West Bengal had also moved the Supreme Court narrating the details of the horrifying gang rapes they were subjected to in the post-poll violence by the members of the ruling TMC. They had sought SIT probe into all the incidents as well as the alleged inaction of the police.
Post poll violence in West Bengal
Post-poll violence had become a leitmotif of news emerging out of Bengal following the declaration of results. Umpteen number of violence against political opponents have been reported from the state. In an overwhelming number of such incidents, the victims have been BJP supporters and workers, while the accused were said to be supporters of the TMC party. More than a dozen BJP workers have lost their lives in the post-poll violence that ensued following the victory of the TMC party in the assembly elections.
Women were among the most affected by the orgy of violence that engulfed the state in the wake of the Bengal election results. Dissident women being raped, tortured, and murdered were reported from different parts of the state.
The violence unleashed forced people to flee their villages along with their families, witnessing one of the large-scale displacements to have ever taken place over violence in the aftermath of elections. Hundreds and thousands of people, fearing for their lives, had crossed over to Assam, where they had been provided temporary shelter under the supervision of minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
