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Leaders and workers of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SCP on Thursday staged a protest against the rape incident at the Swargate bus depot in Pune, calling for strict action against the accused.
The protesters demanded capital punishment for the rape accused and the safety of women. The incident took place on Tuesday when the rape survivor, a working woman, was waiting for a bus to return home to Phaltan, which is located around 100 km away. The accused allegedly approached her, falsely claiming that the bus to her destination was parked elsewhere. He led her to a MSRTC Shivsahi bus parked in the depot, where he allegedly raped her. Meanwhile, Pune city police have released a poster of the wanted accused, urging the public to come forward with information. The poster mentions that a case under section 64, 351(2) of 2023 has been registered against the accused. As per the poster, "A case has been registered under section 64, 351(2) of 2023 and the said case is accused named Dattatray Ramdas Gade, age 37 years, Res. Gunat T. Shirur, Distt. Pune and he is a wanted accused in the registered crime. Information about accused Dattatray Gade Rs. 1,00,000/- (one lakh rupees) will be awarded. The name of the informant will be kept confidential." Earlier, Pune City Police on Thursday said they have expanded their efforts to apprehend the accused in the case, who has been on the run since Tuesday. They have also announced a Rs one lakh cash reward to nab the accused, identified as Dattatray Ramdas Gade. A total of 13 teams have been deployed to track down the suspect, with eight teams from the Crime Branch and five teams from Swargate Police Station working on the ground. Police teams have even been dispatched outside the district to intensify the search, they said. Smartana Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Zone II, Pune, said, "We have declared a Rs one lakh cash award for the person who helps in nabbing the accused. We have sent the bus for forensic investigation. Our teams have been working day and night since the incident happened." Maharashtra's Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik also ordered a departmental inquiry against the Assistant Transport Superintendent and the Bus Depot Manager of the Swargate Bus Depot in Pune following the February 25 incident in which a 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside a parked bus. Maharashtra's Minister of State for Home, Yogesh Ramdas Kadam, addressed the situation and provided updates on the ongoing investigation. Speaking to the media, Kadam clarified, "The Day before yesterday, the incident that happened in Swargate, I am here today to review that incident... After receiving the complaint, police started an investigation immediately... Police are searching for the accused, and very soon, he will be arrested. Some misinformation is being spread that the investigation was started late, but there is nothing like that." Kadam emphasized that the authorities were taking swift action and that rumours of a delayed response were unfounded. (ANI)
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