Pune rape-murder case: Sunetra Pawar, Supriya Sule seek fast-track trial, harshest punishment

Politicians across Maharashtra have expressed shock and anger after a nineandahalfyearold girl was allegedly raped and murdered in Pimpalwandi village of Punersquos Junnar talukaThe incident has once again raised concerns over the safety of children in Maharashtra with leaders demanding a speedy investigation a fasttrack trial and the strictest punishment for the accusedThe 25yearold suspect the childs neighbour was arrested after police allegedly found CCTV footage showing him with the girl before she went missingInvestigators 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 strangledSunetra Pawar seeks fasttrack trialMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar described the incident as ldquoextremely tragic and heartwrenchingrdquo and said she had spoken to Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill to review the investigation hellipmdash Sunetra Ajit Pawar SunetraA_Pawar August 19 2026The 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 accusedShe 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 fasttrack courtldquoThe government will spare no effort to ensure justice for the little girlrdquo Pawar stated in a post on X adding that she would soon visit Pimpalwandi to meet the victimrsquos familySupriya Sule flags police outpost closureNCP Sharadchandra Pawar MP Supriya Sule said the incident was a ldquostark reminderrdquo of concerns surrounding the safety of women and children in Maharashtra hellipmdash Supriya Sule supriya_sule August 19 2026Sule demanded a thorough investigation followed by a fasttrack trial and the harshest possible punishment for the accusedShe 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 areaSule urged the state government to immediately reopen the police outpost and complete the investigation at the earliestNCP SP leader demands 30day charge sheetNCP SP leader Anish Gawande said the alleged rape and murder should ldquoshock all of usrdquo and argued that the incident was part of a broader pattern of crimes against childrenThe horrific rape and murder of a 9yearold girl in Junnar should shock all of us Unfortunately it is part of a pattern that has only gotten worse in the last few yearsMaharashtra now stands 1 in crimes against children in India 24171 cases in 2024 including 9432 POCSOhellipmdash Anish Gawande anishgawande August 19 2026Citing crime data Gawande claimed that Maharashtra recorded 24171 crimes against children in 2024 including 9432 POCSO cases and 110 child murders He also claimed that crimes against children in Pune city increased from 732 in 2022 to 1330 in 2024Gawande called for a charge sheet to be filed within 30 days a daytoday 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 immediatelyWhat happened in the Junnar caseAccording to investigators the accused allegedly took the girl to a sugarcane field around 15 km from her village where he allegedly sexually assaulted and strangled herPolice analysed CCTV footage from the area and allegedly found the girl with the accused before she went missing The suspect was subsequently arrestedPolice said the accused allegedly confessed during interrogation and later led officers to the location where the incident occurred The girlrsquos body was subsequently recovered from the sugarcane fieldA case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNS and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences POCSO Act The postmortem report is awaitedThe incident has also brought renewed attention to previous cases of sexual violence against children in Maharashtra including the Nasrapur child rapemurder case in which the accused was sentenced to death