Mumbai gangrape accused to be prosecuted speedily: Shinde

New Delhi  :  The Maharashtra government will “do its utmost” to complete the investigation in the Mumbai gangrape case and prosecute the accused expeditiously, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Monday.

Making a statement in the Lok Sabha, Shinde said: “All the five accused have been arrested. Public order and police are subjects exclusively dealt with by the state.”

“The government of Maharashtra will do its utmost to complete the investigation in the crime and prosecute the accused under law expeditiously,” he said.

Shinde said he has spoken to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and was assured that the case would be tried in a fast track court and verdict would be announced fast.

A 22-year-old photojournalist was raped by five men in an abandoned textile mill complex in central Mumbai last week after her male colleague was beaten and tied-up.

The home minister said the statement of the male companion of the photojournalist has been recorded.

“The male companion has provided some vital clues about the culprits and based on that, the Mumbai police prepared and released some sketches of the suspects,” he said.

Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said such incidents of rape were taking place everywhere.

She wanted to know from Shinde whether there was any time limit within which the culprits would be brought to book.

After the Dec 16, 2012 gangrape case of Delhi, there seems to be a flurry of such cases. “We are not able to hang any of the brutes,” she said.