Ex-Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh seeks death for accused in Pune girl's rape-murder
NAGPUR: NCP (SP) leader and former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Saturday demanded the death penalty for the accused arrested in connection with the alleged sexual assault and murder of a four-year-old girl in Pune district.
The crime was reported from a village in Bhor tehsil, where police said a 65-year-old man allegedly lured the child with the promise of food, took her to a shed in a cattle enclosure, sexually assaulted her and then killed her.
Calling the incident "extremely outrageous", Deshmukh said on X that such a shameful crime occurring on Maharashtra Day does not befit the state.
He demanded that the case be heard in a fast-track court and that the accused be awarded death by hanging without delay.
The NCP (SP) leader also claimed that information emerging in the case suggested the accused may have assaulted young children in the past.
"How do such criminals roam freely in society? When I was the Home Minister during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government's tenure, we approved the Shakti Act, which is pending final approval from the Central Government.
"When there is an urgent need for this law in the state, the Centre and the state government are passing the buck to each other instead of implementing it and wasting time," he said.
Alleging a rise in crimes against women and girls in Maharashtra, Deshmukh said the Devendra Fadnavis-led government was not serious about implementing the stringent Shakti Act.
"Had this strong law been in force, this monster (the accused) would have received the death penalty within 15 days," he said.
The Maharashtra legislative council had in March unanimously passed the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill, 2026, incorporating provisions from the proposed Shakti Bill, including safeguards for the identities of acid attack survivors and stricter punishment for online sexual harassment.
The bill had earlier been passed by the state assembly.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, had said that the Shakti Bill was passed by the state legislature in 2020 and sent to the Centre for the President's assent. He added that the President had subsequently returned the bill.
The crime was reported from a village in Bhor tehsil, where police said a 65-year-old man allegedly lured the child with the promise of food, took her to a shed in a cattle enclosure, sexually assaulted her and then killed her.
Calling the incident "extremely outrageous", Deshmukh said on X that such a shameful crime occurring on Maharashtra Day does not befit the state.
He demanded that the case be heard in a fast-track court and that the accused be awarded death by hanging without delay.
The NCP (SP) leader also claimed that information emerging in the case suggested the accused may have assaulted young children in the past.
"How do such criminals roam freely in society? When I was the Home Minister during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government's tenure, we approved the Shakti Act, which is pending final approval from the Central Government.
"When there is an urgent need for this law in the state, the Centre and the state government are passing the buck to each other instead of implementing it and wasting time," he said.
Alleging a rise in crimes against women and girls in Maharashtra, Deshmukh said the Devendra Fadnavis-led government was not serious about implementing the stringent Shakti Act.
"Had this strong law been in force, this monster (the accused) would have received the death penalty within 15 days," he said.
The Maharashtra legislative council had in March unanimously passed the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill, 2026, incorporating provisions from the proposed Shakti Bill, including safeguards for the identities of acid attack survivors and stricter punishment for online sexual harassment.
The bill had earlier been passed by the state assembly.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, had said that the Shakti Bill was passed by the state legislature in 2020 and sent to the Centre for the President's assent. He added that the President had subsequently returned the bill.
Next Story