Reacting strongly to the rape of a 27-year-old woman in a bus in Pune, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said that no one will be spared and people who commit such crimes should be hanged.
The woman, who works as a a domestic help, was raped at the busy Swargate Bus Stand – which is just 100 metres from a police station – between 5.45 and 6 am on Tuesday. Police have said the suspect is 36-year-old Dattatraya Ramdas Gade who has been accused of theft, robbery and chain-snatching incidents in the past and has been out on bail since 2019.
Asked about the rape, Mr Shinde, who is also the president of the Shiv Sena, said on Thursday, “The Pune incident is very unfortunate. Whoever the accused is, no matter which party he belongs to, he will not be spared. Such people should be hanged. The damaged bus in the depot should be auctioned soon.”
The Maharashtra government has been under fire from the opposition over the rape in one of the state’s biggest cities, which is also an education and information technology hub. Members of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction staged a protest outside the Swargate police station on Thursday and the Congress has accused the Maharashtra government of putting more emphasis on freebies for women than ensuring their safety.
“When the Nirbhaya gangrape incident took place in Delhi, people changed the regime. You (BJP-led Maharashtra government) promote ‘Laadki Bahin’ scheme for women, but ignore basic issues of the people,” Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal said.
The state government has assured that strict action will be taken and Mr Shinde’s fellow Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said the police have been asked to arrest the accused immediately. Mr Pawar, who is also the president of the NCP, also stressed that the only punishment for the accused in the case can be death.
“The incident of rape at the Swargate bus station is extremely unfortunate, painful, infuriating and shameful to all in civilised society. The crime committed by the accused is unforgivable and there can be no other punishment for him than death. I have directed the Pune police commissioner to personally look into this matter and investigate it and arrest the accused immediately,” Mr Pawar said on Wednesday.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has also announced a security audit for all bus depots in the state. The guards at the Swargate bus depot have been replaced and a decision has been made to quickly sell off the buses that are out of service at the depots.
Lights Of Bus Were Off
On Tuesday, the 27-year-old woman was waiting to board a bus to her hometown in Satara district when she was approached by Gade. The man told her that a bus parked in a corner of the depot would take her to her destination and when she hesitated because its lights were off, told her that the passengers inside were sleeping.
He then locked the door of the bus and raped her.
The Pune police have announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to Gade’s arrests and have also released a photo. The Crime Branch is also trying to track him down and 13 teams have been formed.
