 "Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse, who was accompanied by dozens of BJP workers and supporters, filed a complaint against the alleged molestation of her daughter on Sunday. ANI")
Amid the outrage over Pune bus rape case, a junior minister in the Union Cabinet in Maharashtra has raised questions about women’s safety after her minor daughter was harassed at a fair in the Jalgaon district.
Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse, who was accompanied by dozens of BJP workers and supporters, filed a complaint against the alleged molestation of her daughter on Sunday.
“A yatra is organized every year in Kothali on the occasion of Shivratri. My daughter went to this fair the day before yesterday and she was harassed by some boys. I have come to the police station to file a complaint. I have come as a mother seeking justice, not as a Union Minister and MP,” visibly upset Khadse told reporters outside the police station.
Here’s all we know about the incident.
Minister’s daughter harassed in Jalgaon
The incident took place on February 28 at the Sant Muktai Yatra organised in the Jalgaon district during the Maha Shivratri festival.
Talking to reporters earlier in the day, the Union minister and BJP leader said, “I was in Gujarat, so my daughter called me to ask for permission to go. I asked her to take a guard and two to three staff members along. My daughter and her friends were followed and pushed, and their photos and videos were taken. When my staff objected, the boys resorted to unruly behaviour, and a mob of 30 to 40 people gathered.” Khadse said when she returned home this morning, her daughter told her that the same group had misbehaved with her on February 24 at a public event.
The accused were identified as Aniket Bhui, Piyush More, Soham Mali, Anuj Patil, Chetan Bhui, Sachin Palve, and Kiran Madi. Aniket reportedly already has four cases registered against his name, while the other accused have no previous cases, according to News18.
Soham Mali has been arrested and the manhunt for the remaining six persons is underway.
The seven have been charged with stalking and other offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, while Information Technology Act provisions have been invoked since they tried to take pictures and videos of the girls without permission, the official informed.
Calls for strict action
Khadse, who belongs to the BJP, which is in power in the state, sought strict action against the accused.
Terming the incident as condemnable, she raised a concern over the safety of the common people when even ministers’ families are not safe.
“It is unfortunate. If such things happen to an MP or Union minister’s daughter, imagine what common people have to go through,” she said.
The three-time MP from the Raver seat said crimes against women have increased across Maharashtra, and there is no fear of law. Many girls hesitate to come forward, but we must not stay silent, she said, adding that she would meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demand action.
Addressing the situation, CM Fadnavis assured strict action against the culprits and said that the workers of a “particular party” were involved in the crime.
Speaking to reporters in Raigad, the CM said, “Those who harassed Khadse’s daughter are from a political party. The local police have arrested some of them and registered a case. There will be strict action taken against them.”
Raksha Khadse’s father-in-law, former minister and NCP (SP) leader Eknath Khadse said, “The police have already received several complaints against these youths in the past, but no effective steps were taken. These boys are hardened criminals.” He claimed that crimes against women have increased in Maharashtra, and criminals are not afraid of the police.
Congress slams the ruling Mahayuti government
Reacting to the development, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal claimed the law and order situation in the state has collapsed under the Mahayuti government.
“There has been a huge increase in atrocities against women and girls in the state due to the presence of goons. If the daughters of Union Ministers are not safe, it is better not to think about the condition of the children of the common people,” he said in a post.
He said CM Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, has lost focus.
“The fact that a minister’s daughter was molested even in the presence of security guards is a sign that the law and order has gone haywire. Fadnavis should resign from the post of home minister and give the state a full-time competent home minister for the safety of mothers and sisters in the state,” the Congress leader said.
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, Vijay Wadettiwar, said the news of Khadse’s daughter being molested while under police protection reflects the reality prevalent in Maharashtra.
“The minister had to go directly to the police station to demand that the accused be arrested. We have been saying for a long time that the police are no longer feared in the state because gangsters get protection from the ruling Mahayuti,” he claimed.
The Mahayuti government has been shown a mirror by its Central minister, Wadettiwar said, questioning if the incident will awaken the chief minister and the two deputy chief ministers.
Pune rape case
The incident occurs just after the state was rocked by the Pune bus rape case .
On Tuesday (February 25) early morning, a 26-year-old woman was raped inside a stationary bus at the busy Swargate depot in Pune city.
The police arrested the accused, identified as Dattatray Ramdas Gade, from a paddy field after an extensive search operation .
According to media reports, the accused had earlier been arrested for robbery but has been out on bail since 2019.
He also faces several other cases of theft, robbery, and chain-snatching.