'Abominable, Dehumanising': Supriya Sule After RPF Constable Booked For Rape Of 17-Year-Old Girl From Chhattisgarh

NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday and called for strict action against the Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable accused of confining and raping a 17-year-old girl from Chhattisgarh in a railway quarter on Tadiwala Road in Pune.

Sule wrote in Marathi, "An incident involving the rape of a minor girl by a railway security personnel in Pune has come to light. This is an abominable and dehumanising act. It is crucial that strict action be taken against the guilty person through prosecution in a fast-track court."

On Tuesday, the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Pune registered a case against the RPF constable for charges of rape and unlawful confinement in connection with the alleged incident, which occurred between September 12 and September 17.

After the traumatic incident, the girl returned to her hometown in Chhattisgarh and filed a Zero FIR with the local police, which was then forwarded to the GRP in Pune. The GRP officially registered an FIR and launched an investigation into the case.

According to Additional Superintendent Ganesh Shinde of GRP Pune, the constable's accomplice has been arrested, and efforts are underway to locate the constable himself.

In response to the incident, Ramdas Bhise, the Pune railway division PRO and divisional commercial manager, confirmed that the constable has been suspended. Furthermore, an RPF inspector at the Pune railway station is also facing suspension due to alleged negligence during the initial investigation.

The constable accused in this case is identified as Anil Pawar, while the arrested individual is named Kamlesh Tiwari.

According to information received, the minor girl had eloped with her friend from Chhattisgarh and disembarked at the Pune railway station. The accused RPF constable reportedly encountered them and, under the pretense of offering assistance from an NGO, took them to the railway quarters on Tadiwala Road. There, he and his accomplice allegedly confined and raped her.