 "A domestic worker, who was heading to her village in Satara's Phaltan, was allegedly raped at the Swargate bus stand, around 100 metres from a police station, on Tuesday between 5.45 am and 6.30 am. PTI")
In a shocking incident, a 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside a stationary Maharashtra state transport bus at the busy Swargate bus station in Pune early Tuesday (February 25).
The accused, identified as Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, 36, has been absconding.
Police said on Wednesday that multiple teams had been formed to nab the accused.
As the probe continues, the incident has triggered massive outrage in the state, with opposition parties slamming the ruling NDA government for the failure to control the rising crime in the region.
What happened at Swargate bus station?
A domestic worker, who was heading to her village in Satara’s Phaltan, was allegedly raped at the Swargate bus stand, around 100 metres from a police station, on Tuesday between 5.45 am and 6.30 am.
The 26-year-old woman “was waiting for a bus to go back to her home” when the accused approached her and engaged her in conversation, calling her ‘didi’ (sister).
According to the survivor, the accused asked after her destination and told her that the bus for Satara had already arrived at another platform. He then took her to an empty “Shiv Shahi” AC bus parked elsewhere on the sprawling station premises.
As the lights inside the bus were not on, she hesitated at first, but the accused convinced her that it was the right bus, saying that the lights were off because other passengers were sleeping, NDTV reported.
She said that when she entered the bus, he followed her inside, locked the door, and raped her before fleeing.
As per Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) officials, the man had lied that he was the bus conductor for Phaltan, which led the woman to trust him and go with him. This information has not yet been confirmed by the police.
According to News18, the aforementioned bus arrived at the bus stand from Solapur at around 3.40 am, and it was parked in front of a sugarcane juice shop near the platform from where buses for Satara and Baramati in Pune district depart. It was scheduled to depart for a return journey within a few hours.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Smartana Patil said the survivor did not approach police immediately after the incident but took another bus for her hometown and narrated the incident to her friend over a phone call while travelling.
On her friend’s advice, she got down within the city limits and went to the police station to report the incident, Patil said.
A case has been registered and the police have begun investigating the incident. They are accessing the CCTV footage and have formed eight teams and deployed a canine sniffer unit to nab the accused.
Swargate bus station authorities reportedly learnt about the incident only at 10 am, four hours after the crime.
India Today claims an inquiry has been launched against the Swargate depot manager and the traffic controller, and a detailed report on their accountability will be submitted within a week to the Transport Commissioner.
Also read: After Kolkata, now Bengaluru horror: How hitching a ride led to 21-year-old’s rape
Who is accused Dattatraya Ramdas Gade?
Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, a resident of the Shirur area, has been booked earlier in dozens of cases of theft, robbery, and chain-snatching.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Smartana Patil said these cases were registered in Shikrapur and Shirur police station limits in Pune and adjoining Ahilyanagar district.
“He is a history-sheeter who has been booked in cases of robbery and theft in the past by Pune rural police,” a senior police officer was quoted by The Indian Express.
A Swargate police station official said he was out on bail since 2019 in a robbery case, as per PTI.
Last year, a theft case was lodged in Pune against Gade, who was summoned to the police station, the official said.
A Pune police team on Wednesday questioned a brother of the accused, he said.
What are the authorities saying?
Calling the incident “extremely unfortunate, distressing, infuriating," Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that CM Devendra Fadnavis, who also controls the Home Department, has taken note of it and instructed the police to take strict action.
“The incident of rape on one of our sisters at the Swargate bus station in Pune is extremely unfortunate, distressing, infuriating to all in a civilized society, and one that makes us hang our heads in shame. The crime committed by the accused in this case is unforgivable, and there can be no punishment other than hanging. I have personally instructed the Pune Commissioner to take a hands-on approach in investigating this matter and to arrest the accused immediately,” he said on X.
Pawar added, “Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also taken this crime seriously and has given necessary instructions to the police. The accused will be arrested at the earliest by the police, and to ensure that he receives the harshest punishment under the law, the state government will take all steps. This assurance I give to all my brothers, sisters, and mothers of Maharashtra. Instructions have been given to the Minister of Women and Child Development as well as the Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission to provide justice, mental support, and all possible assistance to the victim sister.”
The National Commission for Women (NCW) took suo motu cognizance of the incident and sought urgent action.
“In her letter, the NCW Chairperson has directed the police authorities to ensure “a fair and time-bound investigation, extend all necessary support to the victim, and arrest the accused at the earliest and ensure strict legal proceedings were brought.”
Why is the opposition criticising the government?
Opposition leaders are criticising the Fadnavis-led home department for failing to control the rising crime in Pune.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) workers staged a protest at the bus stand and smashed window panes and damaged furniture in the security office.
“The incident that took place in front of the security cabin. If a woman is raped in front of the security cabin, nobody has the right to sit there,” the party worker Vasant More told ANI.
Women activists also raised slogans against the BJP-led government, as per PTI.
State Congress Chief Harshwardhan Sapkal referenced the horrific 2012 Nirbhaya incident in Delhi while slamming the state government for focusing on “freebies” for women at the cost of their safety.
“When the Nirbhaya gangrape took place in Delhi… the people changed the regime (voting out the Congress and giving power to the AAP). You (the BJP) promote schemes for women that provide financial aid… but then ignore the basic issues of the people,” he said.
The NCP’s Supriya Sule slammed the police as the area in which the shocking incident took place is supposed to be routinely patrolled. “… shows that anti-social elements do not have any fear of law. The home department has failed to curb crime in Pune,” she said.
With inputs from agencies