Union Minister of State Raksha Khadse has lodged a police complaint over the alleged harassment of her daughter and some of her friends by a group of boys at the Sant Muktai Yatra in Kothali village, Muktainagar, on Friday night. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the accused belongs to a political party and that some arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
The FIR was registered at Muktainagar police station based on Khadse’s complaint regarding the incident that took place at the Sant Muktai Yatra in Kothali village on Friday night. Seven persons have been named in the FIR, and one of them, identified as Soham Mali, has been arrested, a Muktainagar police station official said, as per news agency PTI. Teams have been formed to nab the remaining accused.
The accused have been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and the Information Technology (IT) Act for allegedly taking photos and videos of the girls without permission. The police official added that the bodyguards accompanying the girls identified the seven accused.
Addressing reporters, she said, “I was in Gujarat, so my daughter called me to ask for permission to go. I asked her to take a guard and two to three staff members along. My daughter and her friends were followed and pushed, and their photos and videos were taken. When my staff objected, the boys resorted to unruly behaviour, and a mob of 30 to 40 people gathered.”
She further revealed that her daughter informed her of a similar incident involving the same group of boys on 24 February at a public event. “It is unfortunate. If such things happen to an MP or Union minister’s daughter, imagine what common people have to go through,” she said, as quoted by PTI.
The minister claimed that some locals in Muktainagar had also reported incidents of the boys harassing schoolgirls. She said she had spoken to the chief minister and the deputy superintendent of police, demanding the culprits’ arrest.
She told news agency ANI, “Today, I went to the police station as a mother and not as a Union Minister… On the night before yesterday, the incident which happened with my daughter and her friends is condemnable… There may be many such mothers who are suffering from this. They should go to the police station and file complaints… My daughter and her friends went to a Maha Shivratri fair, where some people molested them. They also misbehaved with the police guard…”
#WATCH | Jalgaon: Union Minister Raksha Khadse says, “Today, I went to the police station as a mother and not as a Union Minister… On the night before yesterday, the incident which happened with my daughter and her friends is condemnable… There may be many such mothers who… pic.twitter.com/0CMBkI1hxx
— ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2025
“They had the guts to molest and make videos, even in the presence of a police guard. This is not acceptable, and that is why I have filed an FIR… 30-40 people gathered and started misbehaving with the police… They can enter any house and do whatever they want to. I have ordered the police to take strict action,” She remarked.
Reiterating CM Fadnavis’s assurance, Raksha Khadse remarked, “The CM has assured me that strict action will be taken against them… Many school girls have come forward claiming that these people eve-tease them on their way to school… I have told them to come directly to me and file a police complaint…”
Speaking in Raigad, Chief Minister Fadnavis confirmed action against the accused. “Those who harassed Khadse’s daughter are from a political party. The local police have arrested some of them and registered a case in this regard. There will be strict action taken against them,” he said.
Muktainagar SDPO Krishnat Pingale, quoted by news agency ANI, stated that a case has been registered under charges of stalking, molestation, and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act.
“On 28 February 2025, there was a yatra in Muktainagar taluka’s Kothali village. Muktainagar City’s Aniket Ghui and six of his friends were participating in the yatra. In the same yatra, Aniket Ghui and his friends stalked and molested 3-4 girls. So, we have registered a case of stalking, molestation and also invoked sections of the POCSO Act as well as the IT Act. One accused has been arrested, and three teams have been sent to arrest the remaining accused,” Pingale said.
#WATCH | Jalgaon, Maharashtra: SDPO Muktainagar Krishnat Pingale says, “On 28th February 2025, there was a yatra in Muktainagar taluka’s Kothali village. Muktainagar City’s Aniket Ghui and 6 of his friends were participating in the yatra. In the same yatra, Aniket Ghui and his… pic.twitter.com/aHM1AuYzPJ
— ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2025
‘Fadnavis Should Resign As Home Minister’: Maharashtra Congress Slams Law and Order Situation
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal criticised the state’s law and order situation under the Mahayuti government. “The incident of Union Minister Khadse’s daughter being molested by thugs and security guards being pushed is extremely worrying and shows that women and girls are not safe in the state,” he said.
Sapkal further alleged that Khadse had to remain in the police station as those accused of molesting her daughter were not being arrested. “There has been an increase in atrocities against women and girls in the state. If the daughter of a Union minister is unsafe, it is better not to think about girls of common citizens,” he added, as quoted by PTI.
Targeting Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, Sapkal remarked that the Chief Minister has lost focus and added, “The fact that a minister’s daughter was molested even in the presence of security guards is a sign that the law and order has gone haywire. Fadnavis should resign from the post of home minister and give the state a full-time competent home minister for the safety of mothers and sisters in the state.”
Congress legislature party leader Vijay Wadettiwar also raised concerns about the safety of women in Maharashtra. “The minister had to go directly to the police station to demand that the accused be arrested. We have been saying for a long time that the police are no longer feared in the state because gangsters get protection from the Mahayuti,” he claimed.
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Regarding the molestation case, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray remarked, “This is a very serious matter. Whether it is in any state, country, city, or district, security, law and order, and the enforcement of the law are the most important things…The issue in this state today is that since the government came under the hands of the BJP in 2014, there have been many concerns…”
Mumbai, Maharashtra: Regarding the molestation of Union Minister Raksha Khadse’s daughter in Jalgaon, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray says, “This is a very serious matter. Whether it is in any state, country, city, or district, security, law and order, and the enforcement… pic.twitter.com/QZlUHxfCLh
— IANS (@ians_india) March 2, 2025
Reacting to the allegations, Fadnavis reiterated that those involved would face strict action. “There are some officials of a party who have done such a thing. It is a cheap act; the police have registered a case, and some have been arrested. This kind of harassment is wrong; they cannot be forgiven, and strict action will be taken against them,” he said, as per ANI.
Meanwhile, Eknath Khadse, Raksha Khadse’s father-in-law and a senior NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader, alleged that the accused were repeat offenders. “The police have already received several complaints against these youths in the past, but no effective steps were taken. These boys are hardened criminals.”
He further claimed that crimes against women were on the rise in Maharashtra and accused the police of shielding criminals. “Girls do not come forward to lodge complaints. Parents believe that their daughters’ names should not be disclosed. We complained as we had no option left.”
Eknath Khadse also alleged that the police delayed their response and initially discouraged them from filing a complaint. “When we went to the police station first, we were made to sit for two hours. The police told us to rethink the issue as it relates to girls. The youths have even beaten up the police. These people have political protection,” he alleged, as per PTI.
The investigation is ongoing, with police teams deployed to apprehend the remaining accused.
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