A day after the alleged rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Pune district sent shockwaves across the area, women and young girls in Pune have raised serious concerns over safety, especially for children in rural areas. The incident has once again exposed gaps in policing, monitoring, and protection systems in rural belts around Pune , activists said, asking why strict law enforcement still fails to create fear among offenders. While investigations are underway, the brutality of the crime has triggered anger, fear and frustration, with a many questioning why repeated assurances by authorities have not translated into visible change on the ground. “I’m in Pune every day to sell vegetables, and I leave my children back home trusting that they are safe for studies and village area is safe, but after hearing about what happened, that trust is breaking,” said Lata Shinde, 42, a vegetable seller who supplies produce from her farm in Satara and sells in Pune.…