Mumbai Congress president and MP Varsha Gaikwad has written to Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma seeking urgent intervention to enforce the pending Shakti Bill amid protests over the alleged rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Pune district. The letter dated May 5 calls for strict action to curb atrocities against women and girls across the state.

The Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill, 2020, modeled on Andhra Pradesh’s Disha Act, was passed by both houses of the state legislature in 2021 under the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and is awaiting the President’s assent. Gaikwad stated that neither girls in schools nor women in homes are safe under current conditions.

Gaikwad attributed administrative strain to the absence of a dedicated, full-time Home Minister, noting that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis holds multiple key portfolios including Home. She said the overload has placed unbearable pressure on the law and order machinery.

The Governor’s office has acknowledged receipt of the letter, and the state government is expected to respond to the demand for presidential assent and portfolio allocation in the coming days.