Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday directed that all 23 security guards employed at the Swargate bus station in Pune should be replaced following the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman inside a stationary bus.

The rape on the premises of one of the busiest bus junctions of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) created outrage in the state. The incident took place on early Tuesday morning.

Sarnaik directed MSRTC managing director Vivek Bhimanwar to conduct a departmental inquiry into the incident and submit a detailed report in seven days, an official statement said.

The bus station in-charge and depot manager should be suspended immediately if found guilty of negligence, the minister said.

Sarnaik also called an urgent meeting of senior MSRTC officials in Mumbai on Thursday to review safety measures for women passengers, and some concrete decisions are expected, the release said.

The MSRTC is one of the biggest public transport bodies in the country, with a fleet of more than 14,000 buses. Daily, more than 55 lakh passengers travel by its buses.

Under the Maharashtra government's `Mahila Sanman Yojana' scheme, women receive 50 per cent discount on tickets, leading to a significant increase in the number of women passengers.

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