Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe has asked the Maharashtra government to take a serious cognisance of increase in number of cases of atrocities against women last month, and use stringent laws against the culprits.
The Sena MLC has written to Home Minister R R Patil, Women and Child Welfare Minister Varsha Gaikwad and Thane police commissioner Vijay Kamble asking for strict punishment to the accused in certain cases.
These cases should be investigated by senior female police officials and counsellors be appointed to speak to the victims, she has said.
Among other cases, Gorhe has cited an incident at Palus village of Sangli district, where a nine years old girl was raped by a school-bus driver, who also shot a video clip of his heinous act.
Gorhe said it was surprising that the school management was unaware of the driver Suresh Pawar's background, and demanded that a senior lady police officer should probe the case and it be tried in a fast track court.
In a letter to Kamble, Gorhe pointed out the case of Kalyan resident Shamsuddin, booked for molesting his step-daughter. She said the police need to ensure that a strong legal case was built against him and he was punished.
The accused, being a businessman, should not get bail, and the victim and her mother should not come to any harm, she added.
In the letter to Gaikwad, Gorhe had pointed out the case of sexual abuse of two minor girls in a state-run children's home in Shirur in Pune district by a staff member and his son.
This children's home did not have full-time female superintendent, Gorhe noted, and said the government should provide counselling and financial aid to the victims and seek a fact-finding report from the institution.
