In the wake of rising crimes aganst the woman in Pune, the Pune unit of the Nationalist Congress Party of Pune City staged a protest at Goodluck Chowk and demanded that Home Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis take responsibility for the incidents and resign from his post.
Protestors argued that the government has failed to maintain law and order, jeopardizing the well-being of women in the city. The Nationalist Congress Party has vowed to escalate their agitation if necessary measures are not taken.
City President Prashant Jagtap expressed his concerns during the protest, stating, "Pune, known as the cultural capital and the center of learning, is now gaining notoriety due to the alarming increase in attacks on female students and the emergence of the Koyta Gang. Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who claims to be the architect of modern Pune, bears full responsibility for these incidents. Under the previous guardian minister, Ajit Pawar, regular administrative meetings were held to review law and order. However, since the new government took office, such meetings have become scarce. It raises doubts about the government's attitude towards women's safety. With no women in their cabinet and a male Minister of Women and Child Welfare, we question their commitment. We demand that the Home Minister take responsibility and resign from his position. Failure to do so will lead to intensified agitation by our party if similar incidents occur in the future."
Safety of women in Pune under scanner
The protest witnessed the presence of various activists and officials, including Sushma Satpute, Kishore Kamble, Mahesh Hande, Ganesh Nalavde, Karim Shaikh, Shivani Malvadkar, Deepak Kamthe, Sania Zunjarrao, and Sandeep Balvadkar.
The protest comes a day after a jilted man attacked his female friend with a sickle after she repeatedly spurned his advances. The incident took place on a busy road near Sadashiv Peth, barely a stone's throw away from the Perugate Police outpost. This incident followed a tragic case involving Darshana Pawar, who achieved the third rank in the MPSC Forest Services exam. Pawar was killed by Rahul Handore at the Rajgad Fort. Handore had proposed marriage to Pawar, but she rejected his advances. Subsequently, on June 12, Handore lured her to the Rajgad Fort area, where he killed her.
