Pune Sessions has granted bail to a man who attacked his female friend with a sickle after she repeatedly rejected his advances. The incident occurred in June in Pune's Sadashiv Peth, where 21-year-old Shantanu Laxman Jadhav assaulted a 20-year-old college student.
The court approved the bail application with the condition that Jadhav must cooperate with investigating officers and appear when summoned after his release from jail. The court has also asked him to submit his passport.
The attack with sickle
On June 27, the 21-year-old victim was riding a pillion on a scooter with a friend along the road when the attacker, who lay in wait near a temple, accosted them and demanded to speak with her. When she refused and started to walk away, he whipped out a sickle and brutally attacked her on the arm, while her friend whom he threatened scampered off in the opposite direction, and some other passersby looked on in shock. The injured girl tried to push the accused, screamed, and started running towards her college but he lunged after her and attacked her at least two more times with the weapon, injuring her on the hand and head.
Just then, another local student, Leshpal Javalage, who was passing by, saw the girl screaming with blood on her clothes running and Jadhav in hot pursuit. Javalage dropped his bag and chased the accused, caught his right hand and managed to pin him down on the road even as some other passersby gathered strength and rushed to his help.
