Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik orders inquiry and suspension of key officials

Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday directed that all security guards employed at the Swargate bus station in Pune should be replaced following the alleged rape of a 26yearold woman inside a stationary bus and ordered an inquiry into the incident reported the PTIAt least 23 security guards are employed at the Swargate bus station in PuneThe rape on the premises of one of the busiest bus junctions of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation MSRTC created outrage in the stateThe incident took place on early Tuesday morningPratap Sarnaik directed MSRTC managing director Vivek Bhimanwar to conduct a departmental inquiry into the incident and submit a detailed report in seven days an official statement said according to the PTIThe bus station incharge and depot manager should be suspended immediately if found guilty of negligence the minister saidPratap Sarnaik also called an urgent meeting of senior MSRTC officials in Mumbai on Thursday to review safety measures for women passengers and some concrete decisions are expected the release said as per the PTIThe MSRTC is one of the biggest public transport bodies in the country with a fleet of more than 14000 buses Daily more than 55 lakh passengers travel by its busesUnder the Maharashtra governments Mahila Sanman Yojana scheme women receive 50 per cent discount on tickets leading to a significant increase in the number of women passengersA man with a criminal record allegedly raped a 26yearold woman inside a stationary state transport bus at the busy Swargate bus stand in the city police said on Wednesday adding that multiple teams are looking for the accused who is on the runThe incident which took place on Tuesday morning drew sharp reactions from Opposition leaders who blamed the Home Department held by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for failing to deal with the rising crime in the Pune regionDattatraya Ramdas Gade 36 the suspect had cases of theft and chain snatching registered against him said a Swargate police station officialAccording to the woman as she was waiting for a bus for Phaltan in Satara district at one of the platforms around 545 am on Tuesday a man approached her and engaged her in conversation and said the bus for Satara had arrived at another platform the PTI reportedHe then took her to an empty AC bus parked elsewhere on the sprawling station premisesAs the lights inside the bus were not on she hesitated to get in at first but the man convinced her that it was the right bus She could board the bus and look for herself using a torch he told herHe then followed her inside and raped her before fleeing the woman told police the news agency reported on WednesdayPolice identified the accused Gade from CCTV footage and multiple teams have been formed to track him down the official saidwith PTI inputs