Maharashtra, Pune (25) – A 26-year-old woman was raped in a State Transport (Shivshahi) bus parked in the parking lot of Swargate bus depot in Pune, which is considered to be the home of education. Women have been given the facility of half fare on buses. But the question of their safety has come to the fore again. While the young woman was looking for a bus to her home in Paithan at the Swargate bus stand, Dattatray Ramdas Gade, the accused, took her into an empty parked bus on the pretext of helping her. It is believed that as soon as this young woman boarded the bus, accused got into the bus behind her and raped her by closing the door of the bus from inside. After the rape, the accused also threatened the young woman not to spread the word about this incident anywhere. The police deployed drones and dog teams and asked the help of the residents to capture the accused. After this incident, an atmosphere of anger has arisen everywhere and after learning about this incident, the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (ubatha) group of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra has vandalized the security guard’s cabin at Swargate bus station. Women activists of Shiv Sena raised slogans against the Maharashtra government. The Women’s Commission has expressed its anger regarding the said case and has taken a serious note of the crime. State Commission for Women Chairman Vijaya Rahatkar has also sent a letter to Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla in this regard. The Pune Police has been ordered to submit a report on the matter within three days from the State Commission for Women. In the CCTV footage, the accused is seen talking to her. The accused is a serial criminal, and seven teams have been formed to nab him. A team of police has also gone to his village. It is also understood that he is currently on bail for a crime. Police are on a war footing to find the accused, and Pune Police has announced a reward of one lakh rupees for finding the accused. Drones are also being used to track the accused. 23 security guards who were posted at Swargate bus station for the safety of passengers have been suspended with immediate effect. Authorities have also discovered that the accused had taken women to Ujjain. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar have also taken serious note of the incident and are looking into the investigation. On this incident, the second Deputy Chief Minister, Shri. Eknath Shinde, while talking to the media, said that if the dear sisters of Maharashtra are being tortured, the accused should be given the death sentence. Women in Maharashtra have been given a 50 percent discount on bus tickets. After this incident of rape, the state government has decided to close the standing and closed buses in the bus depot. Such buses have become a haven for criminals. The GPS system will be installed on nearly 15,000 buses and electric buses on lease to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik informed that AI technology will also be used for the safety of women. The police suspect that the said accused is hiding in the sugarcane fields of his village, and a team of around 100 policemen has been deployed there. Drone cameras are also being used to detect it in sugarcane fields. Today, i.e 28th February around 2pm, Police have informed the media that Gade has been formally arrested at Shirur.
By Dr. Anupriya Gaikwad
For True to Life News Media Pvt. Ltd.