Raj Thackeray demands ‘cruel death’ for accused in Pune minor rape-murder case: ‘Government only wakes up after such tragedies’

“This isn’t just a one-off spike; it is growing year after year, which means the fear of the law has completely vanished. Furthermore, news emerged that police lathi-charged protesters demonstrating after this incident. Why doesn’t the government show this same “promptness” against those who exploit women and girls?” he asked.

Thackeray argued that such incidents point to a deeper societal breakdown, citing a decline in fear of law, rising crimes against women, and an erosion of accountability. He called for a broader public discussion of the causes of recurring crime, blaming an increasing obsession with power, weakening social checks, and shifting value systems.

“This is serious. Both good and evil tendencies exist in society, but the societal and legal mechanisms that should restrain evil seem to have disappeared. The combination of unchecked greed, the lust for power, OTT content, the mad scramble for money and land, and constant immersion in mobile phones has disrupted the entire social order,” he said.

The MNS chief said the media, politicians, and society must realise that Maharashtra is being deeply wounded by such incidents.

“My party and I are a part of this very society. I assure you that my party and I will be at the forefront of implementing the suggestions I have made. Such incidents must never happen again. The government must immediately do whatever it takes to bring Maharashtra’s diverted ‘attention’ and strayed ‘objective’ back on track.”

However, Advocate Asim Sarode said Thackeray’s demand for “cruel death” for the Bhor rape and murder accused is illegal.

“The perpetrator in the Bhor assault case will 100 per cent receive the death penalty according to the law. However, people like Pravin Tarde and Raj Thackeray, who are making illegal demands to ‘dismember’ or ‘torture him to death,’ should be summoned by the police for a warning, or a case should be filed against them. Law is not created for a single incident; it is eternal. You cannot conveniently set the law aside for one incident and then go back to behaving democratically afterwards,” Sarode said.

“The government provided a state prosecutor to a monstrous criminal like Ajmal Kasab to present his case before he was executed according to the law. Allowing an accused to present their side and then punishing them in accordance with the law is a globally established system. The same should happen in the Bhor case. There is no doubt that the accused in the Bhor case will receive the strictest punishment under the law,” he added.

Solapur MP Praniti Shinde also launched a sharp attack on the Maharashtra Chief Minister, alleging a collapse of law and order in the state and criticising ruling party leaders for “celebratory politics” while the state grapples with a brutal crime against a minor.

Shinde said the entire state was standing with the victim’s family, but accused the BJP of “celebrating a demonic victory in West Bengal” with firecrackers and sweets even as public anger was mounting over the crime.

“This incident is not just infuriating; it is soul-shaking for the entire society. Seeing that child’s photos sends shivers down the spine and creates a sense of intense rage. Such a lust-crazed monster must be awarded the death penalty immediately.

She also questioned the functioning of the state’s Home Department, alleging that Maharashtra was witnessing a surge in crimes including murder and violence, while illegal activities were going unchecked. “Law and order are non-existent. Whether it is the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister and their workers, they are busy in elections and politics from morning till night. The law and order situation in the state has completely collapsed, and criminals no longer fear the police in Maharashtra.”