Accused of rape, writer Laxman Mane surrenders

Marathi writer and social activist Laxman Mane, who has been accused of rape by six women, surrendered before Satara police on Monday evening on the advice of NCP president and Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

Marathi writer and social activist Laxman Mane, who has been accused of rape by six women, surrendered before Satara police on Monday evening on the advice of NCP president and Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

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He was later arrested and will be produced before the court on Tuesday.

Mane is a staunch supporter of Pawar, who happens to be president of the institute that runs Shardabai Pawar Ashramshala, a home in Satara, 110 km from Pune, where all six complainants are employed.

In their complaint, the women had said Mane exploited them sexually and raped them from 2003 to 2010, threatening to sack them or withhold their salaries unless they yielded to his advances. Mane said the allegations were ridiculous as he had medical problems and suffered from "disabilities". "Hang me publicly if I am guilty," he told the media.