Minor's rape, murder: Protesters torch bus in Latur; 3 held

Latur (Maha), Jul 19: Activists of a social organisation allegedly set on fire a bus near a village in Latur district today in protest against the gruesome rape and murder of a minor girl in Ahmednagar district, police said.

Three persons have been detained in connection with the incident, they said. Several organisations today called for a bandh in the district to protest the gangrape and murder of a 15-year-old girl at Kopardi village in Ahmednagar last week.

This afternoon, around 4-5 supporters of Chhava Sangathana waylaid a State Transport bus going towards Kalamb from Latur city near Bhoi Samudraga village, about 12 kms from here, and asked the passengers to alight, police said.

"The moment the bus driver, conductor and passengers got down from the bus, these supporters torched the bus from inside in which all the seats were gutted," Sudhakar Bawakar, Assistant Police Inspector, MIDC police station Latur, said.

Three supporters of the organisation have been detained and the process of registering a case against them is on, he said. Bawakar said after the incident, a large police force was deployed at the spot and on major highways in the district to ensure that no untoward incident takes place. Following the bandh call, majority of the shops were closed in Latur today.

Also, because of the bandh and later due to the fire incident, bus services in the city has been affected, sources said. Latur is over 200 kms away from Ahmednagar. The girl was brutally raped and killed by three men at Kopardi in Ahmednagar last week.

The crime sparked protests across the state, with people taking to the streets demanding action against the accused, while Congress demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on moral grounds. Police said all three accused were arrested by the local crime branch after the incident on July 13.

PTI