File photo of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar today hailed the "positive steps" taken by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the aftermath of the brutal rape and murder of a minor girl in Kopardi village, which had sparked a huge outrage.
"The attempts to add casteist colour (as the victim and the accused reportedly belonged to different castes) to the incident will only harm the social fabric...Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken all positive steps in this case and NCP supports them," Mr Pawar told reporters after meeting family members of the 15-year-old girl in the village.
He also said the attempts to "misuse" the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were "deplorable" as they could result in "social disharmony".
The incident had occurred on July 13 when the girl was allegedly raped by three men who inflicted injuries all over her body and broke her limbs before throttling her. All the accused in the case were arrested.
In the wake of the incident, Congress had demanded resignation of Mr Fadnavis, who also handles the Home portfolio, on "moral grounds."
Meanwhile, Mr Pawar also appreciated the restraint shown by the villagers in the aftermath of the incident.
"The villagers in Kopardi had shown remarkable patience after the incident and the villagers' support to the family who lost their girl is highly appreciable," the veteran politician said.
Mr Pawar, who had served as agriculture minister in previous Congress-led UPA government, also expressed the need to make laws related to crime against children and women "more stringent".
"However, enacting such laws will need consent of parliament," he said, adding that the government machinery can be effective if it works with the "right attitude".