No one will be spared in Pune dowry-linked suicide case: CM Fadnavis

Pune, May 30 (PTI) No one responsible for the dowry-linked suicide of Vaishnavi Hagawane, the daughter-in-law of a former NCP leader, would be spared, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday as he hailed the arrest of a man related to the case from the Nepal border.

Former NCP leader Rajendra Hagawane's daughter-in-law committed suicide at her in-laws' home in Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune district on May 16 after repeated physical and mental harassment over dowry demands.

Vaishnavi Hagawane's father-in-law Rajendra, husband Shashank, mother-in-law Lata, sister-in-law Karishma and brother-in-law Sushil have been arrested in the dowry harassment-suicide case.

Fadnavis said, "The police have done a good job. Nilesh Chavan (who is close to Hagawane family) had fled to Nepal. The police laid a proper trap and arrested him. I had said on the very first day that no matter how many people are involved in this case, no one will be spared. Also, no kind of haste will be tolerated in this matter. We aim to ensure the strict possible punishment (to culprits)." The CM, who holds the home portfolio, was talking to media persons in Pune, where he attended a book launch event at Balgandharv Rangmandir.

Chavan is accused of threatening Vaishnavi Hagawane's parents and others with a gun when they went to his house in Pimpri-Chinchwad to take custody of her child after her death. He has been made a co-accused in the case.

Questioned about the complaint against senior police officer Jalinder Supekar, accused of trying to shield the accused in the dowry-suicide case, Fadnavis asserted, "I have already ordered to check the facts in the complaint. We have taken some decisions to ensure nobody is able to build any pressure (on investigation of the case)." The state home department on Thursday relieved special inspector-general of police Supekar of his additional charge as deputy inspector-general of the Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur divisions of the jail department. Supekar is the uncle of Vaishnavi Hagawane’s husband Shashank.

Asked about 600 arms licences issued in Pune in the last three years alone, the CM said, "Certainly, a review will be taken in this matter. If licences have been issued wrongly, they will be cancelled." Asked about Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's reported statement that India would have reclaimed Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) had Congress leader Rahul Gandhi been Prime Minister, Fadnavis wondered if the remark was "made in daytime or in the night?" On ineligible women, including government employees, availing benefit of Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 is paid to beneficiaries by the government, he said process was underway to identify such females and delete their names from the list.

"Some individuals who did not meet the criteria for 'Ladki Bahin' scheme had applied and availed benefits. Now, the government is conducting an inquiry, and the names of those who are found to have benefitted in this manner are being removed. Once the process is completed, detailed information will be shared," the CM averred. PTI COR RSY