Outrage erupts after minor girl’s assault, murder in Pune; accused held

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also heads the home department, on Saturday said that the state government will demand capital punishment against the 65-year-old man

Massive public outrage gripped Nasrapur village in Bhor taluka on Friday following the brutal assault and murder of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl, with protests intensifying on Saturday and spilling onto the Pune–Satara highway. The protest, which began as a peaceful sit-in, turned tense when demonstrators attempted to block the busy highway, leading to major traffic disruptions.

Police at the spot where a 4-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered by a 65-year-old man in a village, in Pune on Saturday. (ANI Video Grab)

The incident occurred on Friday when the state was celebrating Maharashtra Day. Around 3pm to 3.30pm, the accused allegedly lured the child, playing near her grandparents’ house, to a nearby cattle shed under the pretext of showing her a calf, where he sexually assaulted her and killed her.

At around 5.50pm, when the victim went missing, her grandparents and villagers alerted the police. During the search, CCTV footage surfaced in which the accused was seen with the child. Soon, her body was recovered and the accused, a 65-year-old labourer with a criminal background and hailing from the same village, was arrested near the riverbed area at around 7.30pm.

Police suspect that after the sexual assault, the accused allegedly killed her by hitting her face with a stone. To conceal the evidence, the accused hid the body under a heap of cow dung so that it would not be discovered.

Following the incident, a shutdown was observed in the village on Saturday with angry villagers demanding death penalty for the accused. Police had to resort to mild lathi-charge to disperse protesters and clear the road. MLA Shankar Mandekar reached the spot to pacify the situation. Sandeep Singh Gill, superintendent of police, Pune Rural, assured the public that the case will be fast-tracked

Gill said, “The accused was arrested within one to one-and-a-half hours.”

Rajgad Police Station has filed a case under sections 137(2), 103,64,74 140 (a), 140(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhiat (BNS) and sections 4,6,8, 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

A sessions court in Pune remanded him in police custody till May 7

According to Gill, the accused had previous cases (molestation and POCSO) registered in 1998 and 2015 and had been released after an acquittal in 2019.

The victim is from Pune and had come to visit her grandmother for the summer vacation. As the village is sparsely populated, police are investigating how the accused lured the child while she was playing.

Village sarpanch Usha Vikram Kadam said, “We don’t have any faith in the system as the accused was released free after two repetitive crimes.”

Will seek capital punishment: Fadnavis

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also heads the home department, on Saturday said that the state government will demand capital punishment against the 65-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting and murdering the minor girl in Pune.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Fadnavis said that the case will be taken up in a fast-track court.

“The incident is highly condemnable and is tragic. A three or three-and-a-half-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and murdered by a 65-year-old man. The accused has been arrested. I would like to request the high court to give us a special public prosecutor, and we will demand capital punishment in the court,” the CM said.

‘Inhuman’ incident

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Chandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule urged people to “maintain restraint” while assuring that “the strictest action will be taken” in the alleged sexual assault and murder case. Sule condemned the alleged incident, calling it an “inhuman” incident that has “tarnished humanity”.

Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar questioned how a repeat offender was out in the open, claiming that the fear of the law has eroded. Newly elected Shiv Sena MP Jyoti Waghmare and MLC Chitra Wagh also demanded capital punishment.

Terming the incident “extremely outrageous”, former Maharashtra home minister and NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh on Saturday demanded a death sentence for the accused. He accused the state and central governments of passing the buck on each other on implementing the proposed Shakti Bill to curb sexual crimes.

Fadnavis said that the Shakti Bill was passed by the state legislature in 2020 and sent to the Centre for the President’s assent. He said the President subsequently sent it back. The Maharashtra legislative council in March 2026 unanimously passed the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill 2026 to include provisions in the Shakti Bill to protect the identities of acid attack victims and ensure jail terms for online sexual overtures.

Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Saturday hit out at the state government over the case and demanded Fadnavis’ resignation as home minister. Calling the incident a blot on Maharashtra’s image, he said it exposes a complete breakdown of law and order in the state and also showed that criminals no longer fear the law enforcement machinery. NCP leader Rohit Pawar visited the spot and demanded strict action against the accused.

Sunetra Pawar meets family of minor girl

Deputy chief minister and Pune guardian minister Sunetra Pawar on Saturday met the family of the deceased minor girl assuring them of strict action against the accused and a fast track trial. Describing the incident as “shocking” and a “blot on humanity”, Pawar said the government stands firmly with the victim’s family and will ensure justice. She also spoke to Devendra Fadnavis and sought a fast-track court trial so that the accused receives the harshest punishment, a statement from Pawar’s office said.

(With agency inputs)