Pune rape | Supriya Sule flags Swargate bus depot chief's old letter: ‘Serious questions’

Pune rape | Supriya Sule flags Swargate bus depot chief's old letter: ‘Serious questions’

Pune rape | Supriya Sule flags Swargate bus depot chief's old letter: ‘Serious questions’ ByHT News Desk Feb 27, 2025 02:32 PM IST Share Via Copy Link NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule said it is "very regrettable" if the depot chief writes a letter and it is not taken into account.

Following the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman inside a parked state transport bus at Pune's Swargate bus depot, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule pointed out that the depot chief had previously alerted the police about security concerns at the site.

Pune bus rape case: Supriya Sule urged CM Devendra Fadnavis to immediately review the law and order situation in Pune.(ANI)

She urged Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home ministry portfolio, to immediately review the law and order situation in Pune. She asked him to “take strict measures regarding women's safety as well as safety of the bus station”.

The accused in the alleged rape case at the Swargate bus depot has been identified as one Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, a history-sheeter, who has several cases of theft, robbery and chain snatching registered against him. Gade has been out on bail in one of these cases since 2019.

He had allegedly approached the survivor when she was waiting at one of the stations for a bus to Satara district's Phaltan in the early hours of Tuesday. Gade engaged her in a conversation by calling her 'didi' (sister) and told her that the Satara bus had arrived at another platform. He then took her to an empty 'Shiv Shahi' AC bus parked elsewhere on the busy depot premises.

She hesitated to board the bus due to the lack of lights, but Gade had convinced her otherwise, coercing her to get in and check the bus for herself. And once she got in, he followed her in, raped her and then fled the scene. Police identified Gade with the help of CCTV footage.

The accused is on the run, and police have formed 13 teams to hunt him down. They have also announced a reward of ₹1 lakh for whoever catches him.

Sule, in her post, said, "After the incident of sexual assault on a young woman in the vicinity of Swargate bus station, serious questions have been raised regarding law and order. The Swargate depot chief has written to the police administration from time to time that private agents and other anti-social elements are harassing the bus station and that action should be taken against them."

But still, she said, it appears that the police administration has not taken any action. Sule added that the police system needs to be more vigil in places like the Swargate bus station, which is generally busy.

She said it is "very regrettable" if the depot chief writes a letter and it is not taken into account.