Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's suggestion that...

Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's suggestion that rapists should be hanged does not seem to be favoured by legal experts, social activists and police personnel in the city. "Just as death sentence is no deterrent for murders, it would not eradicate rape," was the consensus at a seminar organised by West Bengal Legal Aid Services. But there has to be a thoroughly reformed, speedy of redress system which "would not rape a rape-victim again and again," agreed Calcutta High Court judge Indira Banerjee, Sri Sikshayatan College principal Bandana Chatterjee, police officer Debashree Chattopadhyay, social worker Nupur Sanyal and legal experts Gitanath Ganguli and P K Roy. Justice Banerjee stressed the need for a change of attitude. Capital punishment contradicted the right to life guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution, said Legal Aid Services chairman Ganguli.