MUMBAI: Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced a special investigation team (SIT) to make a detailed inquiry into alleged month-long delay by Palghar police in taking stringent action after Shraddha Walkar had made a written complaint about she beaten up and harassed by Aaftab Poonawallah, her live-in partner who murdered her in Delhi’s Chhatarpur and cut her body into pieces.
Replying to a calling attention motion raised by all party legislators deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also announced that state was studying the laws in other states to enact its own to stop alleged 'love jihad' attempts citing a sudden spurt in such cases across the state. Pointing out that over 40 morchas were taken out recently demanding a stringent law against ‘love jihad’, Fadnavis said government had no opposition to interfaith marriages but it had observed that in such cases marriages were being ‘conspired’ eventually forcing women to stay in relationship under pressure and torture.
"In fact the term love-jihad has been coined by a communist-ruled state of Kerala and it is the fact that such cases are happening all across the country. Other states have made stringent laws to curb such cases and hence Maharashtra is also ready to enact the law on similar lines to ensure long-term protection to women," Fadnavis said when legislators asked whether there were long-term measures to arrest such incidents in future. He said state was also seeking centre’s permission to Shakti Bill that amends laws for offences committed against women and children with more stringent penal actions.
Replying to BJP leader Ashish Shelar’s statement that certain matters written by Shraddha on her settlement letter were rubbed and rewritten, Fadnavis admitted that there was some "gap" in the investigation that needed to be probed. Upon Opposition leader Ajit Pawar’s demand, Fadnavis agreed to submit the SIT report to the state assembly in the next coming budget session. He also pointed out that upon union home minister Amit Shah's intervention Delhi police was already expediting the case with the help of a fast-track court.
Shraddha had reportedly filed a complaint at the Tulinj Police Station in Maharashtra’s Palghar in 2020, alleging that Aftab Poonawala had beaten her and threatened to kill her. However, the case was closed within a month's time after she gave a written statement that there was no dispute left between her and aftab and that the case be withdrawn. Her friend’s parents had reportedly also cajoled her to resolve the dispute.
Fadnavis said that the state has already directed the police to investigate further as to why Shraddha’s complaint was not taken care of sincerely during the one-month time before she withdrew it. “We have also instructed the police across the state to take immediate action in case if any woman files similar complaint,” he added. Meanwhile, NCP leader Jitendra Awhad said only two states had initiated laws against such cases and there was lot to be done for such regulations to stay in the court of law.
