All necessary steps be taken for women's security: Rahul

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today called for taking all necessary steps to improve law and order to ensure safety and security of women in the wake of repeated incidents of rape coming to light across the country.

He also called for changing the people's mindset, which, he said, is a "major challenge" and needs to be addressed urgently.

"We must take all necessary steps to improve law and order to ensure safety and security for women. But changing mindset is a major challenge and one that we must address urgently. There can be no development, no prosperity and no progress if such barbarism is allowed to continue," he said in a statement.

Gandhi said it was "deeply disturbing" to hear about "gruesome" incidents where women are made a target of such "extreme violence".

Referring to the brutal rape and murder of two young girls in Badaun in UP and the recent rape of a minor girl in Jhalawar in Rajasthan, he said an alleged rape, which had taken place in his Lok Sabha constituency Amethi yesterday, "is unacceptable".

"I am extremely saddened to learn of an alleged rape in Amethi. The matter is under investigation. We are closely monitoring the situation and following up with the district administration to ensure that all the facts come to light and justice is meted out quickly," he said.