Women protesters hurled eggs at three accused in the photojournalist gangrape case outside a magistrate’s court on Friday. Meanwhile, the court has extended the police custody of the trio up to September 5.
The women, claiming to be members of a political party, shouted slogans and demanded that the alleged rapists be hanged. Siraz Khan, Vijay Jadhav and Kasim Shaikh, alias Kasim Bangali, faced the wrath of these women, who hurled eggs at them while they were being escorted to a police van after being produced before the court. A few women had already started hurling eggs from the first floor of the court while the accused were being escorted downstairs.
“The trial should be conducted in a fast-track court and we demand the death penalty for all the accused. They should be given the harshest of punishments,” said one of the protesters, Amruta Pawar.
The custody of the accused was extended after the crime branch told the court that they were yet to recover some clothes of the accused and therefore their remand was required.
Another accused, Salim Ansari, who was arrested from Bharat Nagar in Delhi, is already in police custody till September 5.
The photojournalist in her early twenties was sexually assaulted in the defunct Shakti Mills compound in Parel on the evening of August 22.
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Ex-Prez’s son slapped by a youth
Age Correspondent
Mumbai, Aug. 30
Son of former President Pratibha Patil and high-profile Congress MLA Raosaheb Shekhawat was slapped openly by a youth at the public event of dahi handi at Amravati on Thursday evening. The slap caused Shekhawat to collapse on stage and the youth — Gajajan Umbarkar (22) — was arrested by the police. Once a supporter of the MLA, Umbarkar became a staunch opponent after being rusticated from college in 2003, said sources. Supporters of Shekhawat and Congress workers gathered and protested on the streets. The Congress also called an Amravati bandh on Friday in support of the MLA.
The dahi handi was organised by Navyuvak Vidyarthi Sanghatana at Rajkamal chowk. The incident happened when Mr Shekhawat was on stage and distributing prizes. Suddenly, Umbarkar went to stage and slapped Shekhawat thrice in the presence of commissioner of police Ajit Patil. The event was aired live on local channel.
“He (Gajanan Umbarkar) punched me on eye and forehead. We had rusticated him from our college in 2003 when he was found copying by threatening supervisors with a knife,” said Mr Shekhawat.
Mr Patil said that action was taken under Umbarkar, who is said to be “mentally disturbed.”