A 34-year old woman, who was raped and brutally assaulted inside a stationary tempo in Sakinaka area of suburban Mumbai on Thursday, 9 September, has died in a city hospital, police said, reported PTI.
An official said the woman had suffered serious injuries in her private parts and also lost a lot of blood and was fighting for her life at the Rajawadi Hospital since the early hours of Friday.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the case will be tried in fast track court and that officials have been directed to speed up investigation.
Earlier, the police had arrested a 45-year-old man within a few hours of the incident, police said on Friday, 10 September, according to PTI.
The police said the accused had also attacker her with a knife.
Maheshwar Reddy, deputy commissioner of police Zone 10, said that he received a distress call from an injured couple from Khairani Road at 3 am, according to the Hindustan Times. According to the police, after raping the women in Khairani Road, the accused allegedly pushed a rod into her genitals before escaping.
“After registering the case, we scanned the CCTV recordings of the spot and have arrested a man who was seen at the crime scene,” reported the Hindustan Times, quoting Reddy.
Sakinaka Police Station's Senior Police Inspector Balwant Deshmukh said that the accused, identified as a local, Mohan Chouhan, 45, had been arrested and was being interrogated in connection with the dastardly crime.
“We have booked the accused under IPC sections 376 (rape) and 307 (attempt to murder). He will be produced before a magistrate court on Saturday,” reported The Indian Express , quoting Deshmukh.
The victim, who was found bleeding profusely, was rushed in a critical condition to the BMC's Rajawadi Hospital, but Deshmukh declined to comment on her health status, saying "she remains under treatment".
Top police officials rushed to the spot for investigations, and to nab the others involved, in the crime that came on the eve of the state's biggest festival Ganeshotsav, which started on Friday.
NCW Takes Suo Moto Cognizance of the Incident
National Commission for Women Chairperson Rekha Sharma said the NCW has taken suo moto cognizance of the incident in Mumbai.
"Only one accused arrested (in Mumbai rape case). National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo moto. If there isn't any development in matter until this evening, I'm going to send a member to inquire about it & also extend help to victim's family," she was quoted as saying by ANI.
The Maharashtra Minister and NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik also said that the government "will make sure that the charge-sheet is filed within a given frame of time and the case is fast-tracked to bring the accused to justice," reported ANI.
"Fast track court should be set up for this case and there should be a punishment that warns people against committing such a heinous crime and also conveys the state government's stand on it," Malik said, according to The Times of India.
The newspaper reported that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is discussing the matter with concerned officials.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLC Manisha Kayande said the victim has two minor daughters and asked Thackeray to consider compensating the family.
"It's a tragic end... She had suffered very severe internal injuries and has passed away," she told IANS.
BJP Leaders Express Shock, Ask Thackeray Government to Take Strict Action
Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said he was shocked by the development.
Maharashtra BJP’s vice-president Chitra Wagh said that the state government must take immediate and strict action against the accused, reported The Indian Express. “It is horrifying. It just numbs our senses. We cannot even imagine what the woman, who was subjected to such brutality, must have gone through. I just want to apologize to my sister. As a civilized society, we have failed to protect her and save her life.”
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Ashish Shelar questioned the governance of the state government. “The state government was busy making deals and carrying out transfers. Their entire focus is on doing business deals and misusing the police. Where is the governance? In a progressive state like Maharashtra, a 34-year-old woman is subjected to such torture. It is shocking.”
BJP vice-president Prasad Lad asked for the accused to be hanged immediately and blamed the government of doing nothing to bring reforms.
(With inputs from IANS, PTI, The Hindustan Times, The Times of India and The Indian Express)
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