The political connections of Swargate rape accused Dattatraya Gade are under scrutiny as photos of him with local political leaders from Shirur have surfaced. Gade, a resident of Shirur, can be seen in images with both current and former MLAs from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar.
Current MLA Dnyaneshwar Katke, representing Ajit Pawar’s faction, has denied any association with Gade. Katke mentioned, “The accused lives in Shirur taluka, which is my constituency. Many people come and take photos with me, but I have no connection with him. I don’t know Dattatraya Gade personally.”
Gade’s photo was found on a birthday banner of former MLA Ashok Pawar, who is part of Sharad Pawar’s faction. Ashok Pawar has called for a thorough investigation into Gade’s connections, stating, “The police should investigate who he was helping during the Ujjain pilgrimage and which women he was accompanying. His interests and associations should be immediately uncovered.”
The 36-year-old Gade is accused of raping a 26-year-old woman inside a Shivshahi bus at Pune’s Swargate bus depot. He has a history of criminal cases against him, indicating he is a habitual offender.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has announced that the police will investigate these alleged political connections as part of their ongoing probe into the rape case.
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