26 February,2025 09:48 AM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondent
Pratap Sarnaik. File pic/X
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday directed that all security guards employed at the Swargate bus station in Pune should be replaced following the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman inside a stationary bus and ordered an inquiry into the incident, reported the PTI.
At least 23 security guards are employed at the Swargate bus station in Pune.
The rape on the premises of one of the busiest bus junctions of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) created outrage in the state.
The incident took place on early Tuesday morning.
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Pratap Sarnaik directed MSRTC managing director Vivek Bhimanwar to conduct a departmental inquiry into the incident and submit a detailed report in seven days, an official statement said, according to the PTI.
The bus station in-charge and depot manager should be suspended immediately if found guilty of negligence, the minister said.
Pratap Sarnaik also called an urgent meeting of senior MSRTC officials in Mumbai on Thursday to review safety measures for women passengers, and some concrete decisions are expected, the release said, as per the PTI.
The MSRTC is one of the biggest public transport bodies in the country, with a fleet of more than 14,000 buses. Daily, more than 55 lakh passengers travel by its buses.
Under the Maharashtra government's 'Mahila Sanman Yojana' scheme, women receive 50 per cent discount on tickets, leading to a significant increase in the number of women passengers.
A man with a criminal record allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside a stationary state transport bus at the busy Swargate bus stand in the city, police said on Wednesday, adding that multiple teams are looking for the accused who is on the run.
The incident which took place on Tuesday morning drew sharp reactions from Opposition leaders who blamed the Home Department held by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for failing to deal with the rising crime in the Pune region.
Dattatraya Ramdas Gade (36), the suspect, had cases of theft and chain snatching registered against him, said a Swargate police station official.
According to the woman, as she was waiting for a bus for Phaltan in Satara district at one of the platforms around 5.45 am on Tuesday, a man approached her and engaged her in conversation and said the bus for Satara had arrived at another platform, the PTI reported.
He then took her to an empty AC bus parked elsewhere on the sprawling station premises.
As the lights inside the bus were not on, she hesitated to get in at first, but the man convinced her that it was the right bus. She could board the bus and look for herself using a torch, he told her.
He then followed her inside and raped her before fleeing, the woman told police, the news agency reported on Wednesday.
Police identified the accused Gade from CCTV footage, and multiple teams have been formed to track him down, the official said.
(with PTI inputs)
