Amid outrage over the brutal gangrape and murder of a Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said that such incident will not be tolerated in Maharasthra.
While speaking during virtually inaugurating the newly-formed Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar police commissionerate, CM Uddhav Thackeray said: "When incidents like the one happened in Uttar Pradesh occur, we usually discuss it for a while and then forget. But in Maharashtra, such incidents will not be allowed to happen. Forget about injustice to mothers and sisters, we won't even tolerate if someone looks at women with a crooked eye. We have given the responsibility with immense faith and we will not let you fall short of anything."
There should be fear of police and they should crush criminal activities in the region, he added. "Policing should be such that even if the police personnel are present everywhere, they are not visible, but people feel safe," Thackeray said.
His statement comes amid a nationwide outrage over the death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman from Uttar Pradesh's Hathras on Tuesday, days after she was raped by four men on September 14. As the news of the victim's death spread, protests broke out across the country as well as in Hathras with all sections of society, including politicians, sports, cine stars, and activists expressing anguish and demanding justice for her.
Meanwhile, a data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showed that Maharashtra has the highest number of rape with murder incidents across the country, reported Indian Express.
The NCRB data showed that out of 278 cases of rape with murder registered across the country, Maharashtra has recorded the highest with 47, of which two cases were registered in Mumbai, followed by Madhya Pradesh (37) and Uttar Pradesh (34). In terms of rape committed, Maharashtra ranks fourth with 2,299 cases behind Rajasthan (5,997), Uttar Pradesh (3,065) and Madhya Pradesh (2,485). While Uttar Pradesh (59,853) has the highest number of crime against women cases, Maharashtra (37,144) ranks third after Rajasthan (41,550).
