6 months ago
1
Malegaon taluka successful Nashik territory came to a standstill connected Friday (November 21, 2025) arsenic thousands of people since morning staged a monolithic protestation extracurricular the Malegaon District Sessions Court demanding justness for a three-and-a-half-year-old miss who was raped and murdered in Dongrale village connected November 16. The taluka observed a time agelong strike.
A elder constabulary serviceman said, “Today radical from 20-25 villages gathered in thousands at the court. Malegaon taluka observed bandh.”
A protestor said, “This was the biggest protestation truthful far and anterior to this we held 2 much protests demanding superior punishment for the accused. We volition signifier much if justness is not served.”
The accused, identified as Vijay Khairnar, 24, was a daily wager who lived 200 metres away from the child’s house. Police inspector Pritam Chaudhary of the Malegaon Taluka constabulary presumption said he was arrested the aforesaid day. “He confessed to the transgression portion being taken to the station. We person gotten seven days of police custody. Medical reports have also matched; there is enough grounds against him. The adjacent measurement is filing the chargesheet. We person not filed it yet arsenic we are inactive investigating whether helium was unsocial oregon much radical were progressive successful the crime.”
Police person booked the accused under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 66, which deals with intersexual battle causing death, and Section 103, which pertains to murder, both carrying punishments of beingness imprisonment oregon death.
The horrific incidental occurred connected Sunday, November 16, astir 3 p.m. The kid was playing on the structure of her location erstwhile Khairnar, allegedly drunk, lured her with chocolates and took her to his house.
The maternal uncle of the child, a cab operator by profession, rushed from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after hearing about the incident. He said, “After raping the child, helium damaged her look with a chromatic and killed her. He past threw her assemblage successful a compound partition adjacent to his location hoping nary 1 would identify her oregon conjecture helium did it.”
When the full colony began searching for the missing child, Khairnar joined the assemblage pretending to beryllium innocent. “Before anyone could participate the compound wall, helium jumped doubly and said there was nothing, truthful nary one needed to check. But aft a while, his unusual behaviour was noticed and the police caught him. The assemblage was recovered astir 7.30pm. On the mode to the constabulary station, helium accepted the transgression and explained the full transgression helium committed,” he said.
At the clip of the incident, the child’s mother, , her one-year-old sister, aunt and grandparents were wrong the house. Her father, a photographer, had gone retired for work, portion her uncle was successful Pune for a function.
“She was the elder girl of 3.5 years. She ever utilized to play with her toys. We could ne'er ideate successful our wildest dreams this could happen,” the mother said.
The accused was scheduled to beryllium produced successful tribunal connected Thursday, but constabulary deferred it owed to the swelling crowd. “He was expected to beryllium produced yesterday but seeing the nationalist crowd, police couldn’t take him wrong court. He was produced today,” the constabulary said.
Protesters rammed the tribunal gate on Friday and broke it, forcing constabulary to edifice to lathi charge.
The incidental has sparked statewide outrage. Ministers including Girish Mahajan, Minister of Water Resources of Maharashtra and Dadaji Bhuse, Minister of School Education of Maharashtra visited the household connected Friday.
The All India Janavadi Mahila Sanghatana condemned the crime, calling it a reflection of entrenched patriarchal attitudes and systemic failures. “The culprit indispensable beryllium severely punished,” the organisation said successful a statement. “The information that the accused dares to perpetrate specified horrific atrocities connected a young miss truthful easy means that criminals person nary fearfulness of the police, administration and judiciary. This world is very serious.”
The connection besides criticised the government’s inefficiency successful ensuring women’s safety. “After a transgression is committed, the rulers marque specified accusations that they volition not spare the accused, nary substance who it is. But successful reality, the rate of probe and punishment is very low,” it said, citing akin cases in Phaltan, Pune, and Badlapur.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Harshvardhan Sapkal demanded a fast-track proceedings and decease punishment for the accused. “The incidental of a three-year-old miss being sexually assaulted and murdered successful Malegaon is outrageous and very serious. Criminals nary longer fearfulness the instrumentality successful the state,” Mr. Sapkal said. “The authorities needs a beardown and determined Home Minister. Devendra Fadnavis is an ineffective, passive and astir inefficient Home Minister.”
Narhari Zirwal, Minister for Food and Drugs Administration of Maharashtra besides visited the household accompanied by Maratha quota activistic Manoj Jarange-Patil and said, “The accused volition beryllium fixed the harshest punishment for the crime. This is simply a horrific crime. I volition rise this substance successful the Cabinet. The accused volition beryllium tried successful a fast-track tribunal and efforts volition beryllium made to unafraid the decease condemnation wrong 2 months. I would petition the authorities to name elder lawyer Ujjwal Nikam arsenic the nationalist authoritative in the sensitive case.”
Mumbai Congress main Varsha Gaikwad criticised the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government implicit the incidental and said that the rising fig of crimes amusement that women and young girls were not harmless successful the state. “CM Fadnavis should relinquish the complaint of the location section and name a full-time location minister. I demand strictest punishment of the accused.”
