Maharashtra, central govts have completely failed on issues of women's safety and security, says Supriya Sule

NCP leader Supriya Sule. File Pic

A day after an 18-year-old college student was allegedly raped and murdered in her hostel room in Mumbai, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule claimed the central and Maharashtra governments have been a "complete failure" in terms of the safety and security of women.

Talking to reporters in Mumbai on Wednesday, Sule, who is the Lok Sabha member from Baramati in Maharashtra, also claimed that both the state and central governments were not serious when it came to protecting the dignity of women, reported news agency PTI.

"We have seen how the police in Delhi acted with the protesting wrestlers demanding action against sexual harassment (allegations against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh) while in Mumbai, a girl was raped and murdered in a government hostel. There was no security, cameras in the women's hostel," she said.

"Security arrangements must be made in the hostels. Government must install CCTV cameras and alarm bells inside the hostel and helpline numbers also should be set up," Supriya Sule said.

"The central and Maharashtra governments have been a complete failure in terms of the safety and security of women," Sule claimed.

An 18-year-old college student was allegedly raped and murdered in her hostel room in south Mumbai while a security guard, who is an accused in the case, was found dead on railway tracks near the hostel, police told PTI on Wednesday.

The police were alerted at around 5 pm on Tuesday after the woman became untraceable, with her fourth-floor hostel room in Charni Road area locked from outside.

The victim was the student of a government polytechnic college in suburban Bandra, a police official told PTI.

After reaching the spot, the police along with a team of forensic and fingerprint experts started a probe into the incident.

During the investigation, it came to light that the hostel's security guard, who was a suspect in the case, was found dead on the railway tracks near Charni Road station on Tuesday morning, the official said.

Based on a complaint by the student's cousin and circumstantial evidence, an FIR was registered against the security guard under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder) and 376 (rape), the official said.

(With inputs from PTI)