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Six women detained in PITA case attempt suicide at rescue home in Kolhapur, now stable
Six women allegedly cut their wrists with blades at rescue home in Katyayani area in Kolhapur district on Friday morning
Pune: Six women allegedly cut their wrists with blades at a rescue home in Katyayani area in Kolhapur district on Friday morning.
According to officials, the women were rushed to the Chhatrapati Pramila Raje (CPR) hospital in Kolhapur, where they are stable now.
The women were detained on August 20 following police raids on a resort suspected of hosting obscene dance performances and prostitution activities. They were detained under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (PITA)-1956.
Police booked seven other individuals and seized cash, five mobile phones, and other valuables worth ₹90,000.
The female victims were detained at Shaskiya Tejaswini Mahila Vastigruh in Kolhapur.
B Dheeraj Kumar, additional superintendent of police, Kolhapur, said, “They were in the correction homes related to the PITA case. They applied for bail but did not get it. As a result, they slit their wrists, requesting to be released from the correction home. They were not in our custody. As of now, they are undergoing medical treatment, and their condition is stable.”
According to the parents of the victims, initially, the court granted them a correction home stay for 21 days. On September 9, the court extended their stay for one more year. Hence, the parents of the victims approached the court.
The husband of one of the women said, “The police are not allowing me to meet my wife. I have a small son, and he is waiting for his mother to celebrate Diwali.”
“Initially, they were kept at the correction home for 21 days, and later the stay was increased to one year by the court,” he said.
He said that yesterday (Thursday), a court hearing was due, but the next hearing date was given for October 30 by the court.
Lawyer Gulam Khan, who is representing the six women in the court, said, “Their parents applied to get custody of the women, but the Judicial Magistrate of the First Class court increased their stay bail, but now we have given the next date.”
Khan said, “Now the court will also be on Diwali leave, so that matter is postponed after Diwali.”
Khan said there were no arguments on the appeal made by the parents yet. According to him, in such cases, generally after 21 days, custody of the victim is handed over to the parents after getting a say from the police.
In this case, the police have submitted their say. Khan said, “During the next court hearing, he will inform the court about the case in detail.”
In a recent case, on October 15, a 61-year-old litigant fighting a court battle over property dispute died by suicide in the Shivajinagar court premises due to delay in justice. The deceased had been involved in a long-pending legal dispute over his ancestral property. His father had sold the land in 1997 without his consent, prompting him to challenge the sale in court.
A suicide note was recovered from his pocket, suggesting that he took the extreme step due to frustration over domestic issues and the delay in justice.
