A 26-year-old woman was raped inside a bus at Swargate bus station in Pune and the defendant was identified but has not been arrested, sparking political anger.
Women attacked in a bus just 100 meters from the police station
A 26-year-old woman was raped in a bus in a busy Swargate Bus Stand in Pune early Tuesday morning, just 100 metres from the police station. This horrible incident happened when the bus was parked and was described as a painful crime. The defendant was identified as 36-year-old Dattatraya Ramdas, who was named by the police after reviewing CCTV footage. Despite being determined, Ramdas has not been arrested. Police have formed eight special teams and deployed a dog sniffer unit to track him. Authorities revealed that Ramdas has a criminal record.
The victim is a domestic worker traveling in her hometown of Phaltan in the Satara district. According to police, the crime occurred between 5:45 and 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. The woman described her ordeal, saying that Ramdas first approached her at a bus stand, calling her “Didi” and meant her sister. He asked her about her destination and took her to the bus, which was parked without lights. When she hesitated and said it was too dark and she felt uneasy, Ramdas assured her that the other passengers were asleep, which is why the bus was dark.
After entering the room, the man locked the door behind her and sexually assaulted her. After the attack, the woman got out of the car and boarded another car, where her friend traveled. She immediately told friends about the attack and they reported the incident to the police. Authorities have not wasted time conducting investigations. They visited CCTV footage and began to piece together the event. In addition to looking for rapists, they investigated how bus warehouse management allowed such incidents to occur on their homes.
Swargate Bus Stand is one of the busiest warehouses managed by Maharashtra Road Transport Company. The incident shocked the public a strong reaction from political leaders. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar expressed deep sorrow over the crime, calling it “extremely unfortunate and outrageous.” He stressed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also noticed the crime and directed the police to arrest the defendant immediately. Paval further assured that the state government will ensure that the defendants face the severest punishment under the law.
The incident also sparked sharp criticism from the opposition. Maharashtra Congress Director Harshwardhan Sapkal pointed out that the rise of crime across the state refers to the infamous Nirbhaya Gangrape case in Delhi and questioned The BJP-led government has focused on women’s safety. NCP leader Supriya Sule also expressed concern, saying the incident reflects the failure of the Ministry of Home Affairs to control crime in Pune. Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray’s faction, held a protest at the bus stop, and videos of the demonstrations showed leaders inside the bus stop office that was vandalized.
Police are continuing their investigations and local authorities are under increasing pressure to ensure that rapists are caught and justice is handed over to the victims.
