PUNE: A 65-year-old man with criminal record has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting and murdering a four-year-old girl in Bhor tehsil of Pune district, police said on Saturday, as the incident led to angry protests in the area.
The accused, who works as a labourer, allegedly lured the girl with the promise of food on Friday and took her to a cattle enclosure where he sexually assaulted her and later killed her by hitting her with a stone, said a police official.
He was arrested on the basis of CCTV footage from a private residence which captured him with the child. A case was registered against him under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
He was later produced before the sessions court in Pune which remanded him in police custody till May 7.
Members of Maratha organisations tried to block the police vehicle carrying the accused on the court premises.
The incident triggered massive outrage in Bhor area, with hundreds of villagers rushing to the local police outpost and demanding action against the accused. They also staged a blockade on the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway.
Pune (Rural) Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill assured the villagers that a charge sheet will be filed in the case within 15 days and the trial will be expedited.
"The accused has criminal history, with cases registered against him in 1998 and 2015. He was acquitted in both cases. He is a labourer and typically wanders around the village and occasionally takes up jobs," he told reporters.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also heads the home department, said the incident was "extremely shameful and deeply painful" and promised a fast-track court trial.
"We will request the High Court to appoint a special public prosecutor. Efforts will be made to ensure capital punishment for the accused in the shortest possible time," he said, while also stating that politicisation of the incident is insensitive.
Fadnavis also expressed condolences for the deceased child's family and said the government stands with them in this difficult time.
Terming the incident "extremely outrageous", NCP (SP) leader and former state home minister Anil Deshmukh demanded death sentence for the accused.
"How do such criminals roam freely in society? When I was home minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, we brought in the Shakti Act (which provided for stringent punishment for crimes against women), which is pending final nod from the Central Government. When there is an urgent need for this law, the Centre and state government are passing the buck to each other instead of implementing it," said Deshmukh.
"Had this strong law been in force, this monster (accused) would have received death penalty within 15 days," he said.
Fadnavis had earlier said that the Shakti Bill was passed by the state legislature in 2020 and sent to the Centre for the President’s assent, but the President sent it back.
NCP (SP) leaders Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar visited the deceased girl's village. Sule, in whose Baramati Lok Sabha constituency the village falls, said she would meet Fadnavis on Tuesday and seek stringent action against the accused.
"How did this accused get bail in past criminal cases? There should be a fast-track trial in the case," said the MP while also ruing that the state women's commission does not have a chairperson at present.