Lawless Maharashtra

The horrific rape of a 27-year-old woman inside a parked bus at Pune’s Swargate terminus just 100 meters from a police station has once again laid bare Maharashtra’s crumbling law and order. The fact that the accused, a habitual offender with multiple prior cases, was roaming freely on bail underscores the state’s utter failure to ensure public safety. As authorities scramble to track down the fugitive, the incident has predictably ignited a political storm, with the opposition MVA lambasting the ruling Mahayuti government for its lax governance and misplaced priorities.

That such a brazen crime could occur at Pune’s busiest transport hub, with 60,000 daily commuters and a police station within sight, is a damning indictment of the state’s security apparatus. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has belatedly replaced guards and promised a report in seven days, but these reactive measures do little to inspire confidence. Commuters have long complained about the depot’s poor surveillance, unmanned buses and easy access for unauthorized vehicles. These concerns, systematically ignored, have now culminated in a tragedy that echoes India’s past failures on women’s safety.

The parallels with the 2012 Delhi gang rape and the 2024 Kolkata rape-murder are chilling. In each case, the crime took place in a public or supposedly secure location, highlighting the systemic apathy towards women’s safety. Despite high-profile protests and political grandstanding, little has changed on the ground. The outrage follows a predictable cycle of condemnations, promises of strict action and eventually, a return to complacency. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s call for capital punishment is rhetorical posturing at best.

The Pune police have deployed 13 special teams, eight of them from the Crime Branch, to track down the accused. That such an extensive manhunt is needed for an offender with a well-documented history speaks volumes about the inefficiency of the state’s policing. His criminal record, which includes at least six cases of theft, robbery and chain-snatching across Pune and Ahilyanagar, raises the fundamental question of why was he on bail in the first place? The judiciary, too, must confront its role in enabling repeat offenders.

Beyond apprehending the accused, the authorities must address the glaring security lapses at Swargate. The MSRTC’s history of failed safety measures is well-documented. After the 2012 Santosh Mane rampage, where a bus driver went on a killing spree, the corporation had promised tighter security. Yet, a decade later, lax enforcement persists. The removal of 23 security guards is merely cosmetic. Unless accountability is fixed at the highest levels, such tragedies will continue. Maharashtra needs a fundamental overhaul in its approach to public safety.

Political grandstanding will not make Pune’s women safer. Nor will token inquiries and reactive policing. Law and order, once a strong suit of the BJP, appears to have become its Achilles’ heel in Maharashtra. The fallout from this crime will sorely test the Mahayuti government’s credibility. If security reforms at transport hubs remain cosmetic, the government will struggle to convince citizens, particularly women, that they are safe. Maharashtra’s voters will not forget Swargate easily. Nor should they.