An offence of rape was registered against writer and activist Laxman Mane at the Satara taluka police station on Sunday. The complaint was registered by three women working with Sharadbai Pawar Ashram School in Jakatwadi,Satara. The women alleged that Mane threatened to remove them from job and then raped them many times between 2006 and 2010. Police have booked Mane under Section 376 (c) of the Indian Penal Code. A recipient of Padma Shri,Mane has been known for his work for nomadic tribes. Inspector Shreerang Lange,who is probing the case,said no arrest had been made in the case,adding that investigation was underway. According to the complaints,the women alleged they were raped at the school,the authors residence in Satara,and at a guest house in Pune. We went to his house and places frequented by him. But we have not been able to locate him, Lange said. While Mane was not available for comment,his wife Shashitai Mane issued a press release saying the allegations were part of a conspiracy to defame him. Manes son Bhai said,some of the employees of the school seem to have conspired to implicate my father in a false case. (With PTI )
