A week later Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also hold the home portfolio, assured that no one involved in a serious crime would be spared an elderly couple from Kolhapur were found murdered today. The couple, Pradnya and Uddhav Kulkarni, both medical practitioners, was found lying in the pool of blood in their residence as their throats were silted.

With 6,226 rapes, 17,234 molestation and 3,771 murder cases were registered between January 2015 and June 2016 Fadnavis, who took reigns of the state in October 2014, is being dubbed by his opponents as a failed home minister. In other words, the state has witnessed 10 rapes and 30 molestations every day during this period. The police had registered 42,871 overcall crimes against women in 2015. The number was 37,168 in 2014. This year till June end, overall 20,301 crimes against women have been registered. They include murder, attempt to murder, rape, molestation, theft, abduction, and domestic violence.

KOPARDI RAPE AND MURDER CASE

Fadnavis is already facing wide criticism after the police's apathy in taking timely action against four people accused of brutally raping and killing a 15-year-old student at Kopardi in Ahmednagar district. Apart from brutality of the crime the police's apathy had made the villagers angry. They were taken aback on finding the victim's limb broken. Her both arms were dislocated from the shoulders and there were number of human bite marks on her body. What added salt to the wounds was the police's warning. "Don't register a complaint otherwise you will also be booked under the prevention of atrocities act," the station officer said pointing that the accused Jitendra Shinde, Santosh Bhawal and Nitin Bhailume were Dalits.

On July 28, three drunken policemen at Bhambora in Ahmednagar refused to pay attention to the villagers' complaint that three youths had tried to abduct and rape a minor girl student. The angry villagers locked the policemen as a protest and released them only after district superintendent of police Saurabh Tripathi arrived at the scene. Later, Tripathi suspended them for dereliction of duty.

Only a week before the Kopardi case the state's consciences was shaken when it came into light that two teachers, Yash Borundia and Amol Kshirsagar, at Yavatmal Public School in Yavatmal near Nagpur had sexually assaulted 17 girl students studying in kindergarten and primary classes. In this case too the police tried to shield the accused at initial stage. They had booked chairman of the school management committee Kishor Darda, relative of former Congress MP Vijay Darda, for failing to report the incidence as well as under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 but delayed his arrest allegedly under political pressure. They nabbed Darda from Nagpur three days after the case was filed only after parents of the victims came on the street, vandalised the school property and clashed with the police.

FADNAVIS SHOULD BE SERIOUS: PAWAR

NCP chief Sharad Pawar says there is need to look into the home department on a serious note. "I won't say the CM should not hold the home portfolio because I used to do the same when I was the CM. However, there is a need to look into the home affairs sincerely," he says.

Former CM and senior Congress leader Narayan Rane blames Fadnavis for leaving the law and order situation at the police officers' mercy. "Such brutal crime can't take place without political patronage," Rane says. "Fadnavis is more interested in delivering speeches, inaugurating seminars and clearing files at the behest of his bosses in Delhi."

Charge of home department was not on his mind when Fadnavis took oath of the office. As a studious leader he is more interested in policy making and financial matters. He wanted to head urban development and finance departments. However, as a senior leader Sudhir Mungantiwar, who was chosen to lead the home department, refused to take up the thankless job Fadnavis took the responsibility to himself.

Fadnavis admits that the number of crimes against women is on rise but does not blame the police for the same. "You can see the numbers rising because we have broadened the ambit of rape. Now, incidences of eve teasing are also treated on the lines of a rape." He also claims that the rate of conviction in the cases of crimes against women has gone up from 8 per cent in 2012 to 14 per cent in 2015. "In 97 per cent of rape cases registered last year the accused was known to the victim," he says suggesting that the increasing number of rapes is not a fall out of deteriorating law and order situation.

FADNAVIS IS DIRECTIONLESS

His team members, however, are not ready to buy the theory. According to a senior IPS officer Fadnavis looks confused while running the department. "It is clear that home department is not his priority," the officer says. "That he is directionless is evident in his policy to transfer senior officers arbitrarily. He has failed to boost morale of the force."

Shiv Sena legislator Neelam Gorhe says Fadnavis' simple nature and leniency is the reason why he has not been impressive as the home minister. "He is honest and sincere. He has appointed good officers too but the simple CM does not have a mechanism to check whether these good officers are really doing good work," says Gorhe, who also runs an NGO, Stri Adhar Kendra for the suppressed women in the society.

Leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil of the Congress says the state needs a full time home minister. "Law and order is not an issue to be dealt weekly or fortnightly," he says. "Fadnavis is not able to spare time to deal with the home issues. He should hand over the work to a full time minister for the sake of the state."

A senior minister says Fadnavis does not want to lose the most important key a home minister possesses, a power to initiate inquiry against anyone in any case. Fadnavis has allowed the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct discreet and open inquiry against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare in the multicrore irrigation scam. The Crime Investigation Department (CID) under him is probing the role of Dhananjay Munde, NCP's leader of opposition in the legislative council, in the financial irregularities in Beed district cooperative bank.

"Everyone in a government wants this power. It is possible that he (Fadnavis) is enjoying it," the minister says.

In his role as CM Fadnavis might be able to attract investors to the state but as an underperforming home minister he would be unable to secure them. Is it high time to give up the double role?

THE INADEQUATE MEASURES

Bharari (Flying) Squad: The government has formed a special squad comprising 500 women officers to tackle crimes against women. The number of officers with this squad is inadequate for a population of 12 crore.

Pratisad App: The police in 2015 launched a mobile app called Pratisad for the women users. It has a facility to alert the nearby police station if a woman presses the panic button. Most of the women, however, are unaware of the app. Only 50,000 women have downloaded it so far.



Police Didi (Sister) : The Mumbai Police have begun an initiative to train teenage girls on how to recognise undeserved touch by relatives or strangers. The useful initiative has not yet reached all over the city. The other parts of the state too are not covered.

THE UP CRIME THE DOWN CRIME Rape 6,226 up by 0.70 per cent Murder 3,771 down by 1.11 per cent Attempt to murder 4,140 up by 3.24 per cent Robbery 11,592 down by 26.70 per cent Riots 14,092 up by 2.33 per cent Chain snatching 5,054 down by 51 per cent



THREE BLUNDERS

Promotion of an eyesore: In opposition Fadnavis had demanded in 2010 suspension of IPS officer Parambeer Singh who was number two in the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) then for physical and mental torture of Sadhvi Pragya Singh. Fadnavis had alleged that Singh had forcefully extracted statement from Pragya regarding her involvement in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case. Soon after he took charge of the office Fadnavis promoted Singh as Commissioner of Thane on the outskirts of Mumbai bypassing seniority of three other officers. It sent out a signal that his action does not match with his words.

Appointment of tainted: In 2015, Fadnavis created a post of Joint Commissioner of Police to accommodate IPS officer Dhananjay Kamlakar as head of Mumbai Police's economic offences wing. Kamlakar stands accused of failing a plan by R&AW to use shooters of Chhota Rajan gang to hit at fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim in Karachi, Pakistan. His appointment at a prominent position made other officers feel uncomfortable. Finally, Fadnavis removed Kamlakar from the position after allegations of land grabbing against his son Rohit.

Humiliation of commissioner: Fadnavis removed then Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria in 2015 from the post 17 days before his due date of promotion blaming that he was taking too much interest in investigation of Sheena Bora murder case. The humiliating treatment to an upright officer did not go well among the force. It has led to a rift between officers who consider Maria as a role model and those who see him as a competitor.

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