Kopardi rape and murder case: Satisfied with verdict but not happy, says victim’s mother

A female friend and classmate of the victim — one of the witnesses whose evidence was considered important by the court — said, “We thank the court from giving death punishment to the accused. The verdict will help in preventing incidents of wrongdoing by miscreant youths who target young girl in rural areas.

(From left) Jitendra Babulal Shinde, Santosh Gorakh Bhaval and Nitin Gopinath Bhailume

The girl, who is now an SSC student, had told the court accused Shinde and two others had come on a motorcycle two days before the rape-murder. Shinde held the victim girl’s hand and the other two were laughing. “The girl pushed Shinde back and resisted.The trio left the place saying — kaam dakhavu nantar (will see her later),” she had said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Maratha activists and villagers from Kopardi village had gathered inside and outside the court premises Wednesday to know about the verdict.

READ | Kopardi rape and murder case: CM Fadnavis hails sentence, says crimes against women will not be tolerated

Soon after the sentence was pronounced, the activists shouted slogans of “Ek Maratha, Lakh Maratha”. Heavy security arrangements were made in the area and also in Kopardi village to prevent any untoward incident. The Kopardi incident had sparked massive protests across the state, particularly by the Maratha community. The Maratha Kranti Morcha comprising lakhs of Marathas had taken out rallies across all districts in Maharashtra, with various demands, including death penalty for accused in the case.

Security For Defence Lawyer

Police protection was provided to advocate Prakash Aher, who represented accused Nitin Bhailume in the case. Aher had lodged a complaint of non-cognisable offence at the Sangamner city police station on November 22. On November 21, while arguing over the quantum of punishment in the rape-murder case, Aher had sought leniency for Bhailume. Around 10 pm the same day, he allegedly got threat call from a person asking him to demand capital punishment for Bhailume. Aher stated in his complaint that he later received threat calls and messages over phone and WhatsApp from more than 100 people. The police claimed to have identified the persons giving threat calls to the lawyer and have sought permission from the court to take further action.