Writer Laxman Mane surrenders

Mane said,“I was not absconding,nor was I evading police action. I have done no wrong. If found guilty,hang me at Shaniwar Wada in Pune. I am ready for trial. It is my constitutional right.

“This is a conspiracy to malign my image.” The writer,however,could not explain why he did not surrender immediately after the women lodged police complaints.

The cases pertain to the period between 2003 and 2010. On March 20,2013,three women employees of Shardabai Pawar Ashram Shala,a residential school for underprivileged children in Jatakwadi,accused Mane of repeatedly raping them between 2004 and 2008 promising to make them permanent in jobs.

A couple of days later,two more employees of the Kolhapur unit of the school alleged sexual harassment. The sixth alleged victim complained to the police on April 1.

“Mane promised us permanent jobs but did not keep the promise,” the women aged between 30 and 40 years said in their police complaints. All are married and worked as cooks in the tribal schools.

Mane is executive president of the trust that runs these schools. The organisation has four schools.