19 August,2026 06:10 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondent
NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule (left). Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar. File Pic
Politicians across Maharashtra have expressed shock and anger after a nine-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered in Pimpalwandi village of Pune's Junnar taluka.
The incident has once again raised concerns over the safety of children in Maharashtra, with leaders demanding a speedy investigation, a fast-track trial, and the strictest punishment for the accused.
The 25-year-old suspect, the child's neighbour, was arrested after police allegedly found CCTV footage showing him with the girl before she went missing.
Investigators said he allegedly lured the child away with an offer of fresh fruits before taking her to a sugarcane field, where she was allegedly sexually assaulted and strangled.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar described the incident as "extremely tragic and heart-wrenching" and said she had spoken to Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill to review the investigation.
The Maharashtra Deputy CM further stated that she had directed the police to conduct a transparent and thorough investigation and take the strictest possible action against the accused.
She also said she would request Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the state Home Minister, to ensure that the case is tried in a fast-track court.
"The government will spare no effort to ensure justice for the little girl," Pawar stated in a post on X, adding that she would soon visit Pimpalwandi to meet the victim's family.
NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule said the incident was a "stark reminder" of concerns surrounding the safety of women and children in Maharashtra.
Sule demanded a thorough investigation followed by a fast-track trial and the harshest possible punishment for the accused.
She also highlighted the closure of the police outpost in Pimpalwandi, where the incident occurred. According to Sule, the outpost has remained closed for the past 10 years, while media reports have indicated that illegal liquor sales and other illicit activities continue in the area.
Sule urged the state government to immediately reopen the police outpost and complete the investigation at the earliest.
NCP (SP) leader Anish Gawande said the alleged rape and murder should "shock all of us" and argued that the incident was part of a broader pattern of crimes against children.
Citing crime data, Gawande claimed that Maharashtra recorded 24,171 crimes against children in 2024, including 9,432 POCSO cases and 110 child murders. He also claimed that crimes against children in Pune city increased from 732 in 2022 to 1,330 in 2024.
Gawande called for a charge sheet to be filed within 30 days, a day-to-day trial before a designated POCSO court, and the appointment of a special public prosecutor. He also demanded that sanctioned vacancies in the Pune Rural Police be filled immediately.
According to investigators, the accused allegedly took the girl to a sugarcane field around 1.5 km from her village, where he allegedly sexually assaulted and strangled her.
Police analysed CCTV footage from the area and allegedly found the girl with the accused before she went missing. The suspect was subsequently arrested.
Police said the accused allegedly confessed during interrogation and later led officers to the location where the incident occurred. The girl's body was subsequently recovered from the sugarcane field.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The post-mortem report is awaited.
The incident has also brought renewed attention to previous cases of sexual violence against children in Maharashtra, including the Nasrapur child rape-murder case, in which the accused was sentenced to death.
