Despite rape case, Mumbai is 'safest city' for women: Sena
(Sourced from PTI)
The Shiv Sena on Monday said the brutal rape and murder of a woman has shocked everyone, but Mumbai is the "safest city" in the world for women and there should be no doubt about it in anyone's mind. Recent incidents of crime against women were a "blot" on Maharashtra's culture and the feeling of anger among people was justified, said Saamana.
A 34-year-old woman was raped and brutalized with a rod by a man inside a stationary tempo in suburban Sakinaka in the wee hours of Friday. She died at a hospital during treatment in the early hours of Saturday, police earlier said. The crime bore similarity to the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case of Delhi.
The 45-year-old suspect, arrested within a few hours of the incident, was later charged with murder. An editorial in the Sena mouthpiece, said, "The rape and murder of the woman in Sakinaka have shocked one and all. But, Mumbai is the safest city in the world for women and there should be no doubt about it in anyone's mind."
Incidents like the rape and murder of a woman in the Sakinaka area were a result of a "horrible pervertedness," which can be seen in any part of the world, the Marathi publication said. The comparison of the Mumbai incident with the Hathras case (in Uttar Pradesh where a 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gang-raped and murdered last year) was completely wrong, it added.
The editorial claimed that the Hathras case culprits had the "support of the state's rulers" and there was a delay in their arrest. The victim's body was burnt in a hurry by the government to destroy evidence, it further claimed. The urgency with which a team of the National Commission for Women team reached Sakinaka wasn't shown in Hathras case, the Marathi publication added.
The only solution to such cases is to curb the perverted mindset, the Sena opined. "The state government has decided to take care of the education and livelihood of the two daughters of the Sakinaka victim. Isn't this a sign of being sensitive?" it asked.
It also justified Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale's comment that police cannot be present at all the scenes of crime. Police in all other states will agree with this, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said. It further said the Sakinaka rape victim and the accused were known to each other and added that the woman succumbed to her injuries despite the best efforts of doctors.
"Now, let's leave the case to the judiciary," the Sena said. "The culprit will definitely be hanged to death as no one has come out in support of the accused, unlike the Hathras and Kathua (cases). One has to know what to politicize," said the Sena, which shares power with the NCP and Congress in Maharashtra.
