4-Yr-Old Girl Sexually Assaulted, Murdered By 65-Yr-Old Man In Pune
Condemning the crime, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state would seek the death penalty: Reports
MUMBAI: In a shocking incident that has sparked widespread outrage, a four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered in Nasrapur village under Bhor taluka of Pune district. The crime has left the village in mourning and anger.
Local residents, consumed by grief and fury, observed a total shutdown (bandh) in Nasrapur on Saturday to demand immediate justice. The atmosphere remained tense as villagers surrounded the local police, demanding that the perpetrator face the death penalty or be handed over to the community for summary justice.
Condemning the crime, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state would seek the death penalty.
Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar visited the grieving family in Nasrapur to offer condolences and facilitate a direct dialogue with the state leadership. During this visit, she placed a call to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in front of the gathered crowd to convey their demands. In a significant standoff, the villagers initially refused to perform the victim’s final rites until Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a dialogue with the parents.
Chief Minister Fadnavis said that while he had personally spoken with the parents and they had not made such a request, he would facilitate a conversation with the Union Home Minister if necessary to provide closure.
According to the police, the incident occurred on May 1 when a 65-year-old man allegedly lured the child, who was playing outside her house, into a cowshed on the pretext of showing her a calf. He then allegedly sexually assaulted her, killed her by smashing her head with a stone, and concealed the body under a pile of cow dung.
When the child did not return home, her family launched a search and later found her body in the cowshed. CCTV footage from the area reportedly showed the accused taking the girl towards the cowshed.
Addressing reporters in Mumbai, Mr. Fadnavis condemned the act in the strongest possible terms and confirmed that the 65-year-old suspect, who reportedly has a history of similar offenses, is already in custody. “The state government will request the High Court to set up a special fast track court for this case. The state will also appoint a special public prosecutor and seek capital punishment for the accused from the court,” he said.
A senior police officer said that they would file a chargesheet in the Nasrapur rape and murder case within 15 days. As per the local media report, the accused has been remanded to police custody until May 7.