The recent rape of a woman at Swargate has led to a huge discussion on women's safety in Pune. The rape case is also in the news for the alleged insensitive remarks made by people in the case.

After the remarks were made, social media went abuzz with different claims, along with claims made by the lawyers of the accused in the case. For the uninitiated, a history-sheeter named Dattatray Gade (37) allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman who works in the health sector inside a parked state transport bus at Swargate terminus early on Tuesday, February 25. At approximately midnight on Saturday, Gade, who is facing six criminal charges, was located using drones and sniffing dogs in an agricultural area close to his hometown of Gunat village in Pune district's Shirur tehsil.

He was then taken into custody. He is being held by the police until March 12.

While Pune reels from the shock of the Swargate rape case, many women in the city are feeling increasingly insecure after hearing about the incident. Women in Pune have long been advised not to visit secluded areas and outskirts at night, especially after the Bopdev Ghat rape case. However, this time, the rape occurred at one of the busiest spots in the city, Swargate Bus Station, just 100 meters away from the Swargate Police Station, intensifying the fear among many women. Despite this, victim-blaming continues.

The comment sections of news articles are flooded with questions like "Why did she go to the bus station at 5 a.m.?" "Why did she go inside the bus?" and "Why didn’t she shout?" Statements from Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam, Women's Commission chief Rupali Chakankar, and DCP of Zone 2 Smartana Patil are also receiving criticism for victim-shaming and blaming. Along with these questions, several claims are also being made.

Why did she go inside the bus? And Why Didn't She Shout?

After the defense lawyers claimed the accused did not rape the victim and that they had consensual physical relations, several claims regarding the false allegations of rape were made. Another of his defense team said "she could have shouted and sought help" and "nothing was done forcefully." Many flooded the comment section of the news articles asking why she did not shout. Meanwhile, as per the complaint, the victim went with him and boarded a bus, only to find that it was empty with no lights. The accused followed her in the bus and closed both the doors and allegedly raped her. The victim, in her complaint, stated that she tried to shout but since the doors and windows were closed, the shouting could not be heard outside.

She Took ₹7.5K And She Knew The Accussed

The accused's lawyer had made a sensational claim that there was a financial transaction of Rs 7,500 between the victim and accused. However, upon investigation, the Pune Police discovered key evidence that contradicts this claim. During their inquiry, they found that the bank account of the accused, Datta Gade, contained only Rs 249 at the time of the alleged incident.

Call record details also debunked a claim which said the victim knew Gade for the last one month and even called him. The cops, however, found no calls or financial transactions made.

Meanwhile, Vasant More, the leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), said that the victim had contacted him via a close acquaintance and even had a phone conversation with him. "The victim has been traumatized by the accusations of money made against her on social media. Additionally, the gravity of a crime such as rape was explained in terms of a physical bond through 'consent.' She told me that she was feeling like terminating her life since all of these conversations had an effect on her mental health," More said.

Meanwhile, an application for a restraining order against public and social media utterances that could result in her character assassination was submitted to a court on Monday by attorney Advocate Asim Sarode, who is defending the woman who was reportedly raped on a parked bus at Pune city's Swargate depot.