Taking an indirect dig at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the rape of a 16-year-old girl allegedly by a police man at Osmanabad, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar said that Maharashtra needed a person who can keep vigil on matters relating to the Home Department.
Talking to the media after meeting the Osmanabad District Collector and Superintendent of Police, Pawar said the recent incidents and rape at Kopardi and Osmanabad had caused considerable anxiety and fear among the young girls in rural areas in Maharashtra.
Expressing concern over the recent rapes of minor girls in the State, Pawar said, “We need a person who can keep a constant vigil on the happenings in matters relating to his department”.
The NCP chief was indirectly suggesting that Fadnavis, who holds the State Home portfolio with himself, had failed to deliver in his capacity as the State Home Minister.
It may be recalled that Fadnavis had earlier come under severe flak for his “mis-handing” of rape and murder a15-year-old girl at Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district. Hitting back spiritedly at the Opposition for its criticism of him over his “inept” handling of the Kopardi rape and murder case, Fadnavis had on July 20, he was “efficient” as the Chief Minister and that the people were there judge to him as to how good he was the person holding the Home portfolio in the State.
During his visit to Osmanabad, Pawar said he had decided not to visit the family of the rape victim, as he feared that in the process, he would contribute to the revelation of the identity of the victim girl.
A police sub-inspector (PSI) Prem Sukhdev Bansode, 26, posted at Vishrambaug Police Station at Sangli had allegedly raped a 16-year old daughter of his tenants at gun-point and later threatened the victim and her parents not to make an issue of the incident.
Pawar said the State should take steps to fast-track the Osmanabad case. “The State Government should appoint a lady IPS officer to investigate the case. It should also fast-track the case by appointing a Special Public Prosecutor to expedite the trial of the accused in the case,” he said.