Parliament on Tuesday witnessed outrage over the rape of a para-medic student in the capital with a united Opposition demanding an immediate statement by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on the issue.
The medical student was allegedly raped and brutally assaulted by four men who also attacked her male friend and threw both of them out of the vehicle. Here's what some of the woman parliamentarians had to say about the ghastly case.
Delhi Police has arrested three of six men who allegedly gang-raped the medical student and beat her brutally in a bus in Delhi on Sunday evening. The bus driver, identified as Ram Singh, and his brother are among those arrested.
The victim, who is in the capital for her internship, was battling for life at the Safdarjung Hospital where she was rushed late on Sunday night after the incident.
Amid massive outrage, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday demanded capital punishment for the rapists.
"It's a shame if you can't be safe at 9:30 pm in Delhi. The government must take stern action, the rapists should be hanged," she told the Lok Sabha.
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'Parliament has no time for women'
Rajya Sabha MP and actor Jaya Bachchan on Tuesday turned emotional during the discussion on the gang-rape of a 23-year-old on a moving bus in Delhi, and said that Parliament has no time for women.
"Why are we discussing it now, it should have been discussed earlier," she told the House.
Jaya Bachchan, who quoted from government statistics to drive home her point, later threatened to protest outside the House.
Congress MP Renuka Chaudhary also expressed her concern on the unfortunate incident of a gang-rape with a medical student.
"We will not allow this incident to become another statistic," she told the Rajya Sabha.
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'Please wake up and save our girls'
Another Congress MP Girija Vyas pointed out that there is no security on buses used by the public in Delhi.
"There should be security all around. Fast track is very much needed. I want to say that everybody should work together... There is a need of self-defence programme. Please wake up and save our girls," she said.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has promised crackdown on those accused involved in the alleged gang rape.
"We will take stern measures to ensure such that incidents are not repeated. The government will act tough and those behind the tragic incident will not be spared," she said.
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'Why are we unable to secure women in our capital?'
Smriti Irani of the Bharatiya Janata Party lashed out at the Congress-led UPA Government and pointed fingers at the Delhi Police for not taking apt action in cases linked to the feminine gender.
"Even when a girl is molested in Delhi, the police says ''it's just a molestation, not a rape''. You (Speaker) are saying 'time up'; time should be up for these criminals, not MPs discussing these issues. In 36 hours, a 23-year-old and a 6-year-old have been raped," said Irani.
"I want to ask the government why are we unable to secure women in our capital? I request the home minister not to restrict himself to a statement or sound bite," she added.
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'Action should be so strict that no one should dare to act in such a manner'
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati called for strict action to prevent incidents of rapes so that no one dares to commit such a heinous crime.
"We need to improve our laws and make them stricter, so that it serves as a deterrent. Not enough to just arrest them, but action should be so strict that no one should dare to act in such a manner," she said.
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