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The Maharashtra Forest Department has become extra vigilant about tourists visiting forts that are surrounded by areas under its jurisdiction in the light of the June 12 murder of 26-year-old Darshana Pawar in Pune’s Velha taluka at the foothills of the Rajgad fort.
Pawar’s body was found near Gunjavane village on June 18. The investigation later revealed that she was killed by her friend Rahul Handore on June 12 owing to her rejection of his marriage proposal. Pawar was selected for the post of RFO through the state civil services examination, results of which were declared in March 2023.
On Wednesday, the officials said night entry to the Sinhagad fort has been completely stopped. The department has also increased vigilance near the forts by installing more CCTV cameras and deploying more guards. It is also ensuring a strict implementation of the closing times of the Sinhagad and Rajgad forts.
While the forts are under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the areas surrounding the forts, including the roads leading to them, are under the forest department.
The officials added that on the road leading to the Sinhagad fort, the checkpoint was shifted from Golewadi, which is slightly farther from the fort, to Kondhanpur Phata, which is closer and on the stretch which leads straight to the fort.
An official, on condition of anonymity, said, “When the check post was at Golewadi, motorists and bikers used to enter Sinhagad Fort even after the closing hour by claiming that they want to travel to the villages that lie beyond the check post. The guards were helpless as they had to let residents and visitors enter.”
Pradeep Sankpal, Range Forest Officer (Bhor), said, “From the new location of the check post we can effectively control the entry. Now we are not allowing anyone towards the fort after the closing hour.” He said that the post has CCTV cameras installed and guards are working in shifts to control the flow of people to the fort. The camera and lighting systems are powered by solar panels so that they work even during power outages, Sankpal said.
Range Forest Officer Govind Langute, under whose jurisdiction falls the Rajgad fort, said Pawar’s murder was the first such crime in the area.
“The location where the murder took place is under the gram panchayat but the rest of the forest area is under us. We don’t have a very high footfall of visitors as the fort is located in a remote part. We have instructed our guards to keep a watch on the tourists. Obviously, we can’t directly question their motive but the guards have been asked to inform them about the rules,” said Langute.
He said that no tourist is allowed to go inside the fort after sunset. “We have increased the frequency of patrolling due to the onset of the rainy season when most cases of poaching happen and also in view of the recent murder,” said Langute.
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