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Pune: Rape inside bus sparks stir; protesters, Sena-UBT leader vandalise bus stop
A 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside an MSRTC Shiv Shahi bus on Tuesday at the Swargate bus stop.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vasant More led several protesters on Wednesday to vandalise a security office at the Swargate bus stop where a woman was allegedly raped inside an MSRTC bus.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) workers smashed window panes and damaged furniture in the security office, while women activists raised slogans against the BJP-led Maharashtra government, according to news agency PTI.
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Vasant More justified the vandalism and told ANI, “The incident that took place here, it happened in front of security cabin. If a woman is raped in front of security cabin, nobody has the right to sit there.”
The incident has incited sharp reactions from the Opposition in the state, who have blamed the Devendra Fadnavis-led government for the lapse in women's safety and rise in crime.
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NCP (SP) leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule slammed the government saying, “There is a police post nearby and the area is routinely patrolled. Still such an assault takes place at Swargate, which shows that anti-social elements do not have any fear of law. The home department has failed to curb crime in Pune. The trial of this case should be held in a fast-track court and the accused must get a severe punishment.”
What happened?
A 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside a Shiv Shahi AC bus which was waiting early in the morning on Tuesday at the Swargate bus stop, a busy depot filled with people.
The accused in the case was identified by the police as 36-year-old Dattatraya Gade, who is currently on the run. The police have deployed eight teams to track him. The man apparently had existing cases of theft and chain snatching registered against him.
The man allegedly approached the woman and convinced her that her bus to Phaltan in Satara was parked near another platform on the premises. He then took her to an empty bus and raped her before fleeing.
