Swargate Bus Depot: The Safety Gaps That Led To Pune’s Bus Rape Horror | Anand Chaini
The rape of a 26-year-old woman inside a stationary Shiv Shahi bus of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) at the busy Swargate depot has triggered uproar in Pune. Amid mounting pressure to nab Dattatraya Ramdas Gade (37), the accused in the case, the Pune Police on Thursday deployed sniffer dogs and drones to track him down. Additionally, a total of 13 teams have been deployed to apprehend Gade, with eight teams from the Crime Branch and five teams from Swargate Police Station working on the ground. Commissioner Amitesh Kumar has also announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone providing information about his whereabouts.
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Amid all this, the security at the Swargate bus depot has come into question. The bus depot witnesses a daily footfall of over 60,000 passengers with over 600 buses plying. Besides, there are numerous hawkers and food vendors throughout the day. However, the bus depot has always been a hotspot for illegal activities. Despite the security presence in the area, drunkards are often seen consuming alcohol in and around the depot.
When The Free Press Journal visited the depot after the incident, several abandoned buses were spotted. Upon going inside these buses, several items such as condoms, innerwear, saris, blankets, liquor bottles and cigarette packets were found. While officials claim that CCTV cameras have been installed, none seem to cover the hidden spots of the depot where these unused buses are parked, making it a perfect spot for illicit activities. It was also observed that checks were absent at entry and exit points which makes it difficult to determine if a person is a commuter or a troublemaker.
An MSRTC officer said the administration had deployed 23 guards, five each in three shifts, at the depot. However, considering the crowd here, the security is negligible. Following the incident, all the guards have been suspended.
Meanwhile, Bombay High Court advocates Ashish Rai and Pankaj Mishra have filed a complaint before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in connection with the case. The complaint stated that the horrific incident occurred due to lax security arrangements by the MSRTC. In the complaint, they have drawn parallels of this case to that of the Nirbhaya gangrape case, and demanded impartial action against the negligent and irresponsible MSRTC, police and the administration.
