A young woman raped inside a bus at Swargate bus-stand in Pune

• Uddhav Sena faction vandalises the depot  

• Accused is a habitual offender, Police search going on

Pune – A 26-year-old young woman was travelling to Phalatan and came to the Swargate bus-stand. The accused approached her and told her that the bus going to Phalatan was leaving from another platform. He misled her to a broken-down parked bus, offering to help in getting a seat in the bus. He made her sit in a Shivashahi bus parked on a side and raped her. The incident occurred around 5.30 a.m. Police have identified the offender as Dattatreya Gade, by checking CCTV footage. He is from Shikrapur and a habitual offender. There are 2 cases of theft and brawl filed against him. (Had he been severely punished for his first crime; he would not have dared to commit other crimes. It is shameful that in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s State, girls and women are facing such crimes. – Editor) Vasant More, a leader from Thackeray faction vandalised the bus depot, claiming that no security arrangement existed at the Swargate bus-stand.

After this incident, she sat in a bus going to Phalatan. She called up her friend and narrated the incident to him over phone who advised her to lodge a complaint with the Police; therefore, she came back to Swargate and filed a complaint.

Police stated there are many passengers at the bus-stand and had she made a noise; somebody would have gone to rescue her and the incident could have been prevented but she just left after the incident. She must have been under a shock after going through such a thing and didn’t know what to do. After filing of the complaint, search for the accused is going on and 8 teams of Police are looking for him.

In the parked bus, there were clothes for men and women and contraceptives

Swargate bus-stand is in dire state – Vasant More, Thackeray faction

Thackeray faction’s leader Vasant More informed that there are many buses parked at this bus-stand which are not in working condition. Many wrong things are happening in these buses. The security staff is responsible for this disorder. They are not aware of the happenings. The Thackeray faction staged demonstrations in the bus-stand area.

In the old non-functioning buses, saris, shirts, bedsheets and contraceptives were found which suggests the things happening in those buses.

Angry reactions from Supriya Sule, Rupali Thombare and State Women’s Commission

Supriya Sule criticised the incident as a failure of the Home Department to control the crimes in Pune. The chief of Swargate bus-depot is responsible for the incident and he should be immediately suspended, demanded Rupali Thombare, a leader of NCP-Ajit Pawar group. Besides, Rupali Chakankar, the chairperson of State Women’s Commission and MLA Rohit Pawar have also expressed their anger over the incident.