The Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra legislature began on a stormy note, with the Opposition targeting the BJP-led saffron alliance Government in both the Houses over the shocking gangrape and murder case of a minor girl in Kopardi village of Ahmednagar district in the State.
likening the Kopardi rape-and-murder case with the Nirbhaya incident in Delhi, the Opposition Congress and NCP members sought to corner the State Government by contending that the Amhednagar incident was a "shame" on Maharashtra and demanding a strict law to deal with such cases.
While a belligerent Opposition forced a brief adjournment over the issue in the Upper House, the NCP and Congress members slammed the State Government for the incident and also turned up heat on Speaker Haribhau Bagade after the latter rejected their adjournment notice seeking the suspension of question hour to discuss the Kopardi incident.
A 15-year-old girl was brutally raped on July 13 allegedly by three men who inflicted injuries all over her body and broke her limbs before throttling her at Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district. The Ahmednagar police have now arrested all the three accused, who were identified as Jitendra Shinde, Santosh Bhaval and Nitin Dhailume.
In a statement made soon after the Assembly met for the day, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the local police had arrested three suspects in connection with the Kopardi rape murder case. "In order to ensure justice to the family of the rape victim, the State Government has decided to fast-track the case. We have already appointed Ujjwal Nikam as the Special Prosecutor for the case," the Chief Minister said.
Fadnavis announced a relief of Rs 8 lakh — Rs 5 lakh from the Chief Minister's relief fund and Rs 3 lakh from the "Manodhyrya" scheme — to the family members of the victim girl. "We are providing police protection to the family members of the victim girl," he said.
Not satisfied with the reply, former CM and senior Congress member Prithviraj Chavan and leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said that given the seriousness of the incident, the issue needed to be discussed in the House.
Joining the clamour for a full-fledged discussion on the issue, former deputy chief minister and senior NCP member Ajit Pawar charged that the Devendra Fadnavis Govern-ment had become "insensitive" to the incidents like the one witnessed in Kopardi. "I request the CM to take stern action against the guilty, considering the victim as your and our daughter In comparison to all such incidents, this case is very different and is similar to the Nirbhaya case of Delhi. The manner in which the schoolgirl was gang-raped and her body parts brutalised makes us shudder and shameful. leave aside politics and give justice to her," Pawar said.
Pawar said that the State Government should write to the Centre to make law dealing rape offenders more sternly than is prescribed under the law now.
Pawar also hit out at the Chair for turning down his party's plea for a full-fledged discussion on the issue.
Outside the House, there was intense speculation that the Opposition NCP and Congress might move a no-confidence motion against Speaker Haribhau Bagade for his refusal to admit their adjournment notice to facilitate a debate on the Kopardi incident.
In the Upper House, senior Congress member Narayan Rane said the Kopardi incident reflected that law and order had broken down in the state.
Taking a potshot at Fadnavis who performed puja along with his wife at lord Vitthal temple in Pandharpur on the occasion of Ashadi Ekadashi last week, Rane said: "It seems as though the chief minister has entrusted the task of maintaining law and order to the lord almighty..Women are not feeling safe and the chief minister is only making statements".
leader of the Opposition in the Council Dhananjay Munde charged that giving compensation and the appointment of Nikam as public prosecutor in the case would not bring back the victim girl to her parents.
"The Kopardi incident is more scaring than the Delhi gang rape case. The anger among the people is palpable. The State government is not serious, Chief Minister and Guardian Minister have no time to visit Kopardi," Munde said.
Munde, who had on Sunday demanded the resignation of BJP Minister Ram Shinde on the ground that the latter knew one of the arrested persons ( "as is evident from a Facebook photo that shows Shinde with the accused), criticised the chief minister for going to the defence of Shinde, who has happens to be the guardian minister of Ahmednagar district.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government handed over the Kopardi rape-and-murder incident to the Ahmednagar district's crime branch police. "An Additional Superintendent of Police-rank officer will head the investigation team," a senior official said.