The alleged rape of a 26-year-old lady inside a parked Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus at Pune’s Swargate Bus Stand has sparked a major manhunt. According to authorities, the accused, Dattatraya Gade, has a history of criminal activity, including theft and chain-snatching crimes.
Around 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the woman was waiting on one of the platforms for a bus to Paithan when the event occurred. A man approached her, claiming that her bus had arrived at another platform. She followed him, trusting him, to an empty bus parked in a remote area of the expansive MSRTC facility. The accused allegedly followed her inside the bus as she got on, raped her, and then fled the scene in the dark.
According to a Swargate police station officer, authorities used CCTV evidence to identify the suspect, and several police teams have been sent in to track him down and capture him. Authorities have responded quickly to security breaches at the Swargate bus terminal since the incident. Up to 23 security officers stationed at the bus stop have been ordered to be suspended immediately by Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik. Furthermore, new security guards have been told to report for duty on Thursday.
The traffic controller and the depot manager at Swargate have also been the subject of an investigation. Within a week, a thorough report on their accountability will be delivered to the Transport Commissioner, who will then decide what to do next. Meanwhile, there is a great deal of outrage over the occurrence. In protest of the claimed incompetence that resulted in the crime, a group of Shiv Sena (UBT) employees vandalized the security guard cabin at the Swargate Bus Stand. Inside the security office, a number of employees broke windows and furniture, and female activists yelled anti-BJP and anti-Maharashtra slogans.
Vasant More, the leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), justified the vandalism by stating that no one has the right to sit in front of a security cabin if a lady is raped inside. “A security cabin was the backdrop for the incident. More was cited by a news source as stating, “No one has the right to sit there if a woman is raped in front of a security cabin.” The public has been informed by authorities that strict steps will be implemented to improve security and stop similar situations in the future. Police are stepping up their search efforts throughout the city in an attempt to find and apprehend the accused.
The episode was deemed “extremely shameful, painful, and infuriating for every member of a civilized society” by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. “The incident of rape of our sister is extremely shameful, painful, and infuriating for every member of a civilised society. The crime committed by the accused is unforgivable, and there can be no punishment except death penalty. I have personally instructed the Pune Police Commissioner to closely monitor the investigation and ensure immediate arrest of the accused. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also taken the incident seriously and has given the necessary instructions to the police,” Pawar said.
