Mumbai, May 2 (IANS) Amid widespread outrage over the alleged sexual assault and murder of a minor girl from Nasrapur in Bhor tehsil of Pune district, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Harshvardhan Sapkal on Saturday demanded that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis step down as Home Minister as an act of penance and appoint a full-time Minister to handle the department.

“The state’s law and order situation has completely crumbled, with the safety of women and young girls increasingly compromised. The recent brutal sexual assault and murder of a minor girl in Pune district is a stain on Maharashtra’s reputation and represents a monumental failure of the Home Department. Criminals no longer fear the police. With no dedicated, full-time focus on the Home Ministry, lawlessness prevails,” Sapkal said at a press conference.

Sapkal also targeted the Mahayuti government, alleging that corruption in the Home Department has reached alarming levels. “Corruption is rampant from the bottom to the top,” he said.

He cited several incidents to underscore his claims, including the Santosh Deshmukh case in Beed, the rape at Swargate ST stand, harassment of girls even within a Union Minister’s household, the Badlapur school case involving sexual assault of minor girls, the Ashok Kharat case, and the rising number of missing women and girls.

He further criticised the government’s handling of the drug menace, alleging that Maharashtra is turning into a “drug state” (Udta Maharashtra). “While the youth are being pushed into the abyss of addiction, the Home Minister only makes announcements without any concrete action. The Home Minister is directly responsible for the mockery made of women’s safety and public order,” Sapkal said, pointing to what he described as a “missing link” between the public, the administration and law enforcement.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) legislator Rohit Pawar also condemned the incident and demanded that the government conduct the trial in a fast-track court and ensure stringent punishment for the accused at the earliest.

After visiting Nasrapur, Rohit Pawar said in a post on X: “Citizens have launched a movement demanding the death penalty for the accused in the case where a 65-year-old man allegedly committed atrocities on a 4-year-old girl in Nasrapur and murdered her. I visited the protest. The act committed by the accused is extremely heinous, and the protesters’ emotions are intense. Therefore, the accused should face the strictest punishment under the law at the earliest. A representation has been submitted to the administration demanding a fast-track trial, along with other measures. We have also assured that we stand with the victim’s family.”

Meanwhile, state Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal also criticised the ongoing national census for excluding a caste-based enumeration. He accused the Prime Minister of going back on his word and questioned the government’s intent on Aadhaar linkage.

He also listed what he described as unfulfilled promises of the BJP government, including the 100 Smart Cities project, the promise of creating 2 crore jobs annually, doubling farmers’ income, and addressing the devaluation of the rupee.

–IANS

sj/pgh