NEW DELHI, Feb 26: A 26-year-old woman was raped inside a government-run bus early Tuesday morning – while it was parked in the middle of Pune’s busy Swargate Bus Stand, around 100 metres from a police station.
The accused has been named as Dattatraya Ramdas – he was identified through a CCTV feed – but has not yet been arrested. The police have formed eight special teams, and deployed a canine sniffer unit, to track him down. Ramdas, 36, already has a criminal record.
The bus in which the young woman – a domestic worker travelling to her home village of Phaltan in Satara district – was raped has been vandalised, the police also said. According to the police, the crime took place sometime between 5.45am and 6.30am.
A preliminary scan of CCTV footage shows the alleged rapist talking to the woman, who said Ramdas addressed her as ‘didi’, or ‘sister’. According to the woman, he asked after her destination and told her the parked vehicle – in which there were no lights – would take her there.
The woman said the man led her to the bus and, when she hesitated, pointing out the lights were not on, he told her the other passengers were sleeping and that was why it was dark. She said that when she entered the bus, he jumped in, locked the door, and raped her.
After that she boarded a second bus – on which her friend was travelling – and said she had been raped. The friend immediately told the woman to report the matter to the cops. The police said they had equally immediately filed a complaint and accessed the CCTV footage, which jumpstarted their investigation, which will include inquiries into how and why the bus depot management allowed this to happen in their premises and on their bus.
The bus stand is one of the largest run by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar called the incident “extremely unfortunate, distressing, infuriating.” Mr Pawar added that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken note of it and passed on necessary instructions to the police.
“The incident of rape on one of our sisters at the Swargate bus station in Pune is extremely unfortunate, distressing, infuriating to all in a civilized society, and one that makes us hang our heads in shame. The crime committed by the accused in this case is unforgivable, and there can be no punishment other than hanging. I have personally instructed the Pune Police Commissioner to take a hands-on approach in investigating this matter and to arrest the accused immediately,” Mr Pawar posted on X.
“Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also taken this crime seriously and has given necessary instructions to the police. The accused will be arrested at the earliest by the police, and for ensuring that he receives the harshest punishment under the law, the state government will take all steps, this assurance I give to all my brothers, sisters, and mothers of Maharashtra. Instructions have been given to the Minister of Women and Child Development as well as the Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission to provide justice, mental support, and all possible assistance to the victim sister,” Mr Pawar added.
Predictably, the rape has drawn sharp reactions from the opposition, which has blamed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis – who also controls the Home Department – for failing to control rising crime in the Pune region.
(Manas Dasgupta)
