Not long ago, Nirbhaya spurred us to revamp criminal laws to fight sexual crimes committed against women. Let #justiceforaasifa be the trigger...

DMK working president M.K. Stalin issued a statement on April 12, 2018, demanding comprehensive legal reforms and urgent punitive measures to prevent sexual atrocities committed against children. Reflecting on the nationwide outrage surrounding the barbaric rape and murder of eight-year-old Asifa Bano in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, Stalin asserted that the tragedy had shaken the moral conscience of India.

He recalled that the collective public revulsion following the 2012 Nirbhaya case had forced an overhaul of criminal legislation to combat sexual offenses against women. Stalin argued that the heinous crime against young Asifa must similarly serve as an urgent catalyst for strengthening protective statutory frameworks and judicial mechanisms specifically aimed at safeguarding children, particularly vulnerable young girls.

The DMK leader condemned the weaponization of sexual violence and called for zero tolerance toward perpetrators and their political protectors. He stressed that child protection must transcend narrow partisan or communal considerations. Stalin urged law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities to establish fast-track procedures ensuring exemplary capital punishment for crimes against minors, guaranteeing safe environments for every child. He emphasized that ensuring justice for young victims remained an uncompromised moral duty for the entire country.