Legal age of juveniles in serious crimes should be brought down to 14 years: Ajit Pawar

Pawar’s comments came in the wake of a recent murder of a 17-year-old college student in Baramati by two other collegians who were also of the same age. Even in the Porsche accident case in Pune city in which two youngsters were killed, a 17-year-old was involved.

“In the past, the age group of 18 to 20 years was considered appropriate for determining adulthood. However, times have changed, and children today are far more aware and informed….Some officials believe that the age threshold should be lowered from 18 to 14,” said Pawar.

After the Nirbhaya case, the legal age of teenagers involved in serious crimes like murder and rape was brought to 16 years from 18 years under Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. “It has been observed that 15, 16 or 17-year-old boys are increasingly involved in criminal activities. We need to communicate this concern to the Centre to lower the age of those involved in serious crime,” Pawar added.

Meanwhile, Pawar on Thursday attended a booth committee meeting in Baramati and interacted with the party workers.

During the event, he announced the launching of ‘Shakti Abhiyan’ in Baramati to focus on empowering women, ensuring child safety, and awakening the youth.

He informed that a Shakti Box will be installed in the area so that women can report any cases of abuse and a dedicated helpline number (Shakti number – 9209394917) will also be introduced.

The NCP president further said that a Shakti Kaksha (special cell) will also be set up and posters with this helpline number will be displayed at key locations around Baramati. “Through Shakti Nazar (Social Media Surveillance), we will monitor posts featuring weapons like pistols or swords”, he added.

Pawar also highlighted that ‘Shakti Bhet’ will involve meetings with women across different places to educate them on issues like good touch, bad touch, safety, and substance abuse.

Talking about the seriousness of the issue, he said: “I’m sharing this with you because you are our karyakartas. If any of your family members are caught in wrongdoing, I will not show leniency, even if they are related to you.”

Under the Shakti Vigil campaign, stringent action will be taken against minors or individuals posting photos with weapons on social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, he said.

In a bid to unite and energise the cadre, the NCP president said, “Let us set aside internal factions and differences within the party. We need to face these elections united.”

Pawar, who has represented the constituency for over 30 years, said: “We are striving to make the Baramati constituency a top-performing region in the state.”

Earlier around 6 am, the Deputy CM held a meeting in Baramati with senior police officers to discuss women’s safety.

Talking about the Shakti campaign, he said: ‘Shakti Box’ will be installed in schools, colleges, government offices, private companies, hospitals, coaching classes, women’s hostels, and post offices allowing women and girls to submit complaints.

“Immediate action will be taken on complaints of harassment or suspicious activities while maintaining the confidentiality of the complainants,” he said.