Government pressing for deterrent punishment for gang-rape accused

NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of the barbaric gang-rape incident here, Government today said it is pressing for punishment for the accused so that it becomes a deterrent for others.

"As a father of three daughters, I am interested in getting a deterrent punishment. We are pressing for that," Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters outside Parliament here.

He said that police will be more strict in dealing with such cases. When asked whether the incident will be forgotten soon and turn into another statistic, Shinde said, "How can we forget it... It could happen to my daughters also."

The Home Minister had met Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar yesterday during which it was decided that a drive will be launched to ensure removal of tinted glasses and curtains from public buses in the Capital.

The meeting had taken place after Congress President Sonia Gandhi shot off a strong-worded letters to Home Minister Shinde and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, saying it was a "matter of shame" that such incidents happen with painful regularity.

The girl was raped allegedly by six men in a moving bus, which had tinted glass and curtains on it on Sunday night.