Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh raised the matter during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha. (File)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh today demanded a fast track court and the strictest action within six months against those involved in the alleged sexual abuse of 17 girls in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Raising the matter during the Zero Hour in the House, Mr Singh said as many as 17 girls were taken to a private school on the pretext of a practical examination. They were sexually abused after being given food laced with sedatives, he alleged.
The girls were also allegedly threatened, told to not disclose the incident and that they would fail if they did so.
According to the AAP MP, one of the girls narrated the incident to her parents. The family was able to get an FIR lodged only after they took the matter to the senior superintendent of police.
Expressing shock over the incident, Mr Singh said the culprits should be given the strictest punishment to set an example.
"I appeal for setting up a fast track court and the culprits should be punished within six months," he added.
The issue of the share of the manufacturing sector in the GDP was also discussed in the House.
Congress MP Kumar Ketkar pointed out that the BJP manifesto had talked about raising the share of the manufacturing sector to 25 per cent of the GDP. However, according to the latest data, the contribution of the manufacturing sector in the country's Gross Domestic Product was only 13 per cent.
In his Zero Hour mention, P Wilson (DMK) raised the issue of rising cotton and yarn prices, which have affected the textile industry in the country, including Tamil Nadu.
He said the rising prices of cotton and yarn, and hoarding of the same, had led to the closure of several textiles mills across various regions of Tamil Nadu.
"Manufacturers are faced with the challenge of abnormal price rise of cotton and yarn due to various reasons. No steps have been taken to prevent large scale hoarding of yarn and cotton by certain persons," he said.
Mr Wilson added that the rise in prices has affected the textiles industry and has put livelihood of more than 50 lakh workers or employees at risk.
The DMK member also demanded restriction and regulation of export of cotton and yarn till price situation normalises.
During Zero Hour, members raise issue with the permission the chair.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)