'We have failed as a nation, I feel ashamed': BJP MP Gautam Gambhir on Unnao rape victim's death

New Delhi: BJP lawmaker Gautam Gambhir on Saturday expressed grief over the death of Unnao rape victim and said ‘it is very disheartening that today we all have failed as a nation.’ “Today I feel ashamed as an Indian as we failed a rape victim, who was first raped then burned brutally by the accused. It is disheartening that we as a nation have failed to save her,” Gambhir told ANI. He said that all individuals should take responsibility across party lines and not politicise such matters. [caption id=“attachment_7554451” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Gautam Gambhir. AFP[/caption] Urging political parties to stand together in support of rape victims, he said: “All I want to request is that at least in the rape cases, we should not politicise. It is very hard to feel the pain of the victim’s family. The nation belongs to both men and women. We have to stop a situation where women feel unsafe after sunset.” “I want this country for women as much as for men. They have contributed a lot to the building of the nation. There is a need to change mindsets, not dressing style of women,” he said. The cricketer-turned-politician further said that strict laws shall be implemented and the judicial system should be changed. He added that children should be educated well and there is a need for behavioural change. Being asked about the delay in giving punishment to rape accused, he said: “Hanging should be made legal in rape cases. The accused should be punished within a month.” After battling for life at Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital, the Unnao rape victim who was set ablaze while on her way to a court hearing on Thursday morning died at 11:40 pm on Friday. On Thursday, the 23-year-old was airlifted from Lucknow’s SMC government hospital to Safdarjung Hospital. According to the police, the five accused allegedly threw kerosene on the woman and set her ablaze when she was on her way to a local court for the hearing of a rape case she had filed in March.