Even as the country outrages over the rapes in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua and Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao, Union minister Santosh Gangwar has said that rapes cannot always be prevented, and people should not build up the matter if “one or two” such incidents happen, ANI reported on Sunday.

“Such incidents are unfortunate, but sometimes they cannot be stopped,” said Gangwar, who is a minister of state for finance at the Centre. “The government is actively working on it. In such a large country, if one or two such incidents take place, it is not appropriate that people hype them up so much.”

Union minister Santosh Gangwar: Rapes are unfortunate but can't be stopped pic.twitter.com/oUYyylrQ5U — EconomicTimes (@EconomicTimes) April 22, 2018

On Sunday morning, the Bareilly MP tweeted that everyone needs to stand up against such crimes. He also welcomed an ordinance the government has promulgated to allow death penalty for those who rape girls below 12 years of age.

“I welcome the provision of death penalty for rape of any girl below 12 years and increasing punishment from 10 to 20 years if a girl below 16 years is violated,” Gangwar wrote on Twitter. “This will help in bringing deterrence in society. All of us have to stand up against this crime.”