Maharashtra: Protesters Block Railway Tracks In Badlapur Amid Outrage Over Sexual Assault Of Two Nursery Kids
Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said that the entire machinery of the state education department has been activated while the opposition slammed the state government.
Badlapur School Crime: Massive protest erupted at Badlapur Railway Station on Tuesday against alleged sexual assault of two nursery class kids by a male attendant at a local school. Local trains at the railway station were stopped as protestors chanted slogans demanding justice.
The incident took place on August 12-13, 2024 when two four-year-old girls studying in the pre-primary classes of a prominent co-ed school in Badlapur were allegedly sexually assaulted by a 23-year-old male cleaning staff member inside a girls’ toilet.
The girls had gone to use the washroom during their morning classes when the assault took place. No female staff were appointed by the school for the girls' toilets, reported Hindustan Times.
The accused, Akshay Shinde was hired on a contractual basis on August 1, 2024. He was made the charge of cleaning the girls' toilet when he sexually assaulted the girls.
VIDEO | People gather in huge number demanding justice after a school sweeper in Maharashtra's Badlapur was arrested for assaulting two young girls. Here's what DCP Sudhakar Pathare said:
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 20, 2024
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/dv5TRARJn4) pic.twitter.com/of9gvxlMuX
A complaint was registered by the parents of the two girls on Friday night and the accused was nabbed by the police.
The incident came to light after one of the girls complained of pain in her private parts. She also told the parents that the accused had touched her private parts when she went to use the washroom.
The parents then contacted the other girl's parents, with whom their daughter was close. The other girl's parents said their daughter was scared to go to school nowadays, the Hindustan Times reported.
Both the girls were taken to a local hospital where the doctor revealed that they both had been sexually assaulted.
The police found many lapses during their investigation on the part of the school management, the report added. A few parents said that besides absence of a female staff members in the girls' washroom, CCTV cameras were also not working.
Education Department Swings Into Action, Oppn Slams Govt
Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said that the entire machinery of the state education department has been activated. "We have given instructions to 4 IAS officers from Pune and Mumbai. We are inquiring why the CCTV was not working in the school...," he said.
The minister said no action was taken after the compalint was registered so the senior police inspector has been transferred.
" We will take this case to Fast Track court and ensure that the maximum punishment is given to the accused...Our entire department is present here and the safety of students is our priority...," Kesarkar said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi urged President Droupadi Murmu to approve the Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law so that " no other child or woman faces this travesty.
She also slammed the state government "to continue to ignore the safety of women."
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