New Delhi [India], February 26 : The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognizance of a distressing incident in which a 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside a Shivshahi bus at Pune's Swargate depot, said NCW in a statement.
In response, NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has written to the Director General of Police, Mumbai, seeking immediate action in the case.
Condemning the crime in the strongest terms, the Commission highlighted the grave concerns over public safety, particularly as reports indicate that the accused remains absconding.
In her letter, the NCW Chairperson has urged the police to take urgent measures like "Conduct a fair and time-bound investigation, ensuring no delays or negligence, provide medical aid, psychological counselling, and security to support the survivor's well-being, Expedite the arrest of the accused and initiate strict legal proceedings under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and Submit an action-taken report and a copy of the FIR to the Commission within three days."
The NCW will closely monitor the case and take further action as necessary.
Apart from this, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Smarthana Patil, the incident occurred on Monday morning when the victim, a working woman, was waiting for a bus to return home.
The accused allegedly approached her, falsely claiming that the bus to her destination was parked elsewhere. He then led her to a parked bus, where he allegedly committed the crime.
Zone 2, DCP Smarthana Patil said, "A working woman was waiting for the bus to go back to her home...A man came and said that the bus to your place had been parked somewhere else and took the woman near the parked bus...Then, the man raped the woman..."
"A complaint has been registered...We have identified the accused, and we are making all the efforts to nab him. The accused is identified as Dattatray Ramdas Gade. The victim is stable right now...," she said.