Union Minister Raksha Khadse lodged a police complaint on Sunday alleging that her daughter and some of her friends were harassed by a group of boys at an event in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, reported PTI. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, stated that the accused belong to a political party, and some of them have been arrested.
According to news agency PTI, Khadse filed the complaint at Muktainagar Police Station in connection with the incident, which occurred at the Sant Muktai Yatra in Kothali village, Muktainagar, on Friday night. Speaking to reporters, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, “I was in Gujarat, so my daughter called me to ask for permission to go [for the event]. I asked her to take a guard and two to three staff members along. My daughter and her friends were followed and pushed, and their photos and videos were taken. When my staff objected, the boys resorted to unruly behaviour, and a mob of 30 to 40 people gathered.”
She further alleged that when she returned home on Sunday morning, her daughter informed her that the same group of boys had harassed her on February 24 at a public event. “It is unfortunate. If such things happen to an MP (Member of Parliament) or Union Minister`s daughter, imagine what common people have to go through,” she said. The minister further claimed that some locals in Muktainagar had told her that the boys had been harassing girls on their way to school, PTI reported.
“I have spoken to the chief minister and the deputy superintendent of police,” Khadse said, demanding the arrest of the culprits.
Speaking to reporters in Raigad, Chief Minister Fadnavis informed, “Those who harassed Khadse`s daughter are from a political party. The local police have arrested some of them and registered a case in this regard. There will be strict action taken against them.”
Speaking on the incident, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal criticised the state’s law-and-order situation under the Mahayuti government. “The incident of Union Minister Khadse`s daughter being molested by thugs and security guards being pushed is extremely worrying and shows that women and girls are not safe in the state,” he stated. He further claimed that Khadse was left sitting in the police station because the perpetrators had not been arrested.
Sapkal added, “There has been an increase in atrocities against women and girls in the state. If the daughter of a Union minister is unsafe, it is better not to think about the safety of common citizens’ daughters.” According to PTI, he also suggested that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio, had lost focus. “The fact that a minister`s daughter was molested even in the presence of security guards is a sign that the law and order has gone haywire. Fadnavis should resign from the post of home minister and give the state a full-time competent home minister for the safety of mothers and sisters in the state,” he said.
Congress legislature party leader Vijay Wadettiwar also reacted to the incident, stating, “The news of Khadse`s daughter being molested while under police protection is a reality in Maharashtra.” He went on to say that the minister had to go directly to the police station to demand the arrest of the accused. “We have been saying for a long time that the police are no longer feared in the state because gangsters get protection from the Mahayuti,” he alleged.
Wadettiwar questioned if the incident would serve as a wake-up call for the chief minister and the two deputy chief ministers, adding that the Mahayuti government had been shown a mirror by its Central minister.
(With PTI inputs)
Leave a Reply