Dec 16 gang rape creates awareness, but Pune continues to remain unsafe for women

Pune police and crime investigation department have failed to make any breakthrough in many of the cases

While three accused in the 2009 rape and murder of Pune techie Nayana Pujari were held guilty on Monday, for some the wait for justice seems longer.

A case in point could be Darshana Tongare, a software professional, was hacked to death when she was on her way home in Bavdhan in 2010.

Despite grilling several people, the Pune police and crime investigation department (CID) have failed to make any breakthrough.

A bright student, Darshana joined IBM four months after she completed her BTech from College of Engineering, Pune.

Darshana’s father, Devidas Tongare, who worked in a defence institution, said, “Even after seven years, we don’t know who killed our daughter.”

In December 2016, Antara Das, a 23-year-old techie from Kolkata working with Capgemini near Pune, was stabbed to death when she was returning home from work .

Within 72 hours, the police arrested her friend Santosh Kumar from Bangalore. However the police faced strictures from the local court for failing to submit a charge sheet against the suspect within the stipulated 90-day period, leading to Santosh Kumar’s bail.

The shabby investigation by Pune (rural) police even prompted the court to ask if the prosecution has credible evidence to prove Kumar’s involvement.

While giving bail to Santosh Kumar, the court issued a show-cause notice to the investigating officer, asking why the charge sheet was not filed within the stipulated time and why he should not be held responsible for “disregard towards his duty in not filing the report“.

Recently, two engineering students were bludgeoned to death at Lonavala, a tourist destination. However, more than a month later, investigators are yet to crack the case.

Vishwas Nagre-Patil, inspector-general (Kolhapur range), said, “An award of Rs50,000 has been announced for those giving information on the culprits.”

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