Union minister for agriculture and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar finally expressed his views on the Laxman Mane issue. He said that Mane should surrender to the police.
Noted writer and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Laxman Mane has been accused of sexually exploiting six women. The allegations have been made by women who have been working with the Shardabai Pawar Ashramshala at Jakatwadi in Satara.
According to the women, Mane sexually exploited them threatening to transfer them or by assuring them a job.
Though Pawar attended two public functions in Pune on Saturday, he chose not to speak about the issue. In one of the functions, Pawar even underlined the importance of Satara district in Maharashtra politics.
Though he did not speak to the media, he chose to speak to Sakal, a Marathi newspaper run by his brother and nephew. As per Sakal reports, Pawar said that Mane should present his side before the police and it is not right to keep himself away from the investigation process.
Mane is the working president of the Ashramshala. The police filed a case against him first on March 25. He has been untraceable since then. Meanwhile, five other similar complaints have been received by the police. Referring to the complaints, Pawar said, “I came to know about these complaints against Mane through newspapers. By keeping himself away from the police investigation process, Mane is creating a wrong impression of himself in the public eye. I think he should surrender before the police immediately.”
Pawar added, “I have not only helped Mane set up the Ashramshala but also accepted him as the president of the same.”
The case so far
The first complaint was lodged with the Satara taluka police on March 25, where a victim (33) claimed that she was sexually exploited by Mane from 2003 to 2010
On the same day, two other women lodged a similar complaint.
Two days later, two more women alleged that they too were sexually exploited in a similar way.
On April 5, the sixth victim (38) had approached the police claiming that she was sexually exploited by Mane from 1999 to 2005. She has been working as a cook in the Ashramshala where Mane is the working president.
All victims are belong to Dalit community
Mane is untraceable. Meanwhile, Satara superintendent of police KM Prasanna has prepared four separate teams in Pune, Satara and Kolhapur.
Mane’s anticipatory bail application was filed a week ago by his lawyer SM Sakhare before the Satara district and sessions judge VS Kulkarni. The court had asked additional public prosecutor Vikas Patil-Shirgoankar to file his say by Saturday and has extended the deadline to Wednesday.
@shailyaparanjpe
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