Pune bus rape: Ajit Pawar calls for 'death penalty'; accused is a history-sheeter, say police

As the rape of a woman inside a state transport bus at the busy Swargate bus station in Pune sparked off an outrage, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar assured strict action and called for the 'death penalty' for the accused.

The suspect, identified as Dattatraya Ramdas Gade (36), is on the run after the incident and police have formed eight teams to track him down. 

“The incident of the rape of one of our sisters at Swargate bus station in Pune is extremely unfortunate, painful, infuriating and shameful to all in civilized society. The crime committed by the accused in this crime is unforgivable and there can be no other punishment for him than death," the NCP leader wrote on X.

He said the government was taking the crime seriously and he had personally instructed the Pune police commissioner to arrest the accused at the earliest.

“I assure all my brothers, sisters and mothers in Maharashtra that the state government will take all steps to ensure that the accused is arrested by the police as soon as possible and he is punished as severely as possible according to the law,” Pawar further said.

The minister also claimed he had instructed authorities to offer psychological support, justice and any assistance required to the victim 

Police claimed the suspect is a history-sheeter and has cases of theft and chain-snatching registered against him. He has been out on bail since 2019. 

Deputy Commissioner of Police Smartana Patil told reporters that cases had been registered in the past against Gade in Shikrapur and Shirur police station limits in Pune district.

How Gade misled the woman?

Calling her 'Didi', Gade approached the woman who was waiting for her bus to Phaltan in Satara on Tuesday morning. He told her that the bus had already arrived on another platform and took her to a 'Shivshahi' bus parked at a remote place.

Though the lights inside the bus were not on, Gade convinced the woman to board the bus, saying he was the conductor of the bus. He then followed her inside the bus and raped her before she could escape.

Security guards replaced

As the incident stirred up a political storm, the government ordered that all the 23 private security guards at the bus station be replaced. 

Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik  also instructed MSRTC managing director Vivek Bhimanwar to conduct a departmental inquiry and submit a report in seven days.