A 24-year-old woman from Shirol taluka, currently working in Pune, was traveling to Sangli by a Shivshahi bus from Swargate when she faced a distressing incident. The journey took a disturbing turn when a fellow passenger, identified as Vaibhav Vasant Kamble (34), a resident near Dudhari Maruti Mandir, Walwa, began harassing her. The incident occurred between Ashta and Sangli between 11:00 PM and 12:15 AM on Wednesday (March 5), according to police reports.
As the bus departed from Ashta bus stand at 11:00 PM, the accused, seated next to the woman, began making inappropriate advances. He reached out through the window and between the seats to inappropriately touch her. Despite this, the woman initially remained silent. However, when Kamble continued making obscene gestures, she bravely decided to take action.
Upon reaching Sangli station, the woman immediately informed the bus driver, conductor, and fellow passengers about the harassment. Outraged by the incident, the passengers took matters into their own hands and beat the accused before handing him over to the authorities. As soon as the city police were informed, they arrived promptly at the scene and took Vaibhav Kamble into custody. Following the woman's complaint, a case was registered against him at the Sangli City Police Station, and he was formally arrested.