'Are common citizens safe,' asks Union Minister after daughter harassed in Maharashtra

Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs Raksha Khadse on Sunday (March 2) raised questions over women’s safety in Maharashtra after her minor daughter was harassed at a fair in Jalgaon district, prompting the Opposition parties to target the Mahayuti government over the law and order situation in the state.

She alleged that some youths harassed her daughter during a fair in the Muktainagar area of Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district. “A yatra is organised every year in Kothali on the occasion of Shivratri. My daughter went to this fair the day before yesterday and she was harassed by some boys. I have come to the police station to file a complaint,” she told reporters outside the police station. “I have come as a mother seeking justice, not as a Union Minister and MP,” added a visibly upset Khadse.

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Several complaints against accused

Speaking to reporters, former minister Eknath Khadse, Raksha’s father-in-law, said, “The police have already received several complaints against these youths in the past. These boys are hardened criminals. In Maharashtra, crime against women has increased. Criminals are not afraid of the police. Girls do not come forward to lodge complaints. Parents believe that the names of their daughters should not be disclosed. We complained as we had no option left.”

“I have spoken to the DSP and IG in this regard… When we went to the police station, we were made to sit for two hours. The police told us to rethink the issue as it relates to girls. The youths have beaten up the police. Imagine to what level they can go. These people have political protection,” he added.

Crime against women up: Minister

Raksha Khadse, who belongs to the BJP, flagged concern over the safety of the common people when even ministers’ families are not safe. She wondered, “If the daughter of a public representative is being harassed, then what about the safety of common citizens.”

Khadse, a three-time MP from the Raver seat, said crimes against women have increased across Maharashtra and there is no fear of law. “Many girls hesitate to come forward, but we must not stay silent,” she said, adding that she would meet the chief minister and demand action on such incidents.

Congress slams Mahayuti govt

Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal flayed the Mahayuti government and demanded Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ resignation. He also blamed the Mahayuti – the ruling coalition headed by BJP – and alleged that the law and order situation had collapsed in the state.

“There has been a massive increase in atrocities against women and girls in the state due to the presence of goons. If the daughters of Union Ministers are not safe, it is better not to think about the condition of the children of the common people,” he said in an online post.

Fadnavis assures of strict action

Meanwhile, Fadnavis said the workers of a “particular party” were involved in the crime and that strictest action will be taken against them.

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“Unfortunately, the crime involved workers from a particular party. Cops have registered a case and arrested some people. The rest will be arrested soon. Those involved will not be spared. Strictest action will be taken against them,” said the chief minister.

An accused has been arrested, while the search for the remaining six suspects is underway. A case has been registered under the POCSO Act, Molestation, and IT Act, police said.

The incident comes close on the heels of the Pune bus rape case that has shaken the state. A 26-year-old woman was raped inside an empty bus parked at the Swargate depot in Pune city last week. The cops arrested the accused from Shirur after an extensive operation.