Badlapur Sexual Abuse: 3 Thane Cops & School Principal Suspended, Rail Roko Protest Ends — Updates

Badlapur Sexual Abuse: After a 23-year-old school cleaner allegedly sexually abused two minor girls in Maharashtra, potests erupted, demanding action and accountability from the school administration and local police.

Thane: People block railway tracks to protest against the alleged sexual abuse of two girls at a school, at Badlapur railway station, in Thane district, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.

Source : PTI

Maharashtra has been shaken by a harrowing incident of sexual abuse involving two minor girls at a school in Thane's Badlapur. The accused, identified as 23-year-old Akshay Shinde, a cleaner at the school, allegedly abused the three- and four-year-old girls in the school’s washroom. 

One of the victims lives with her grandparents, maternal uncle, and aunt in Badlapur as her parents live in Kalyan for work. On August 13, the father of another girl from the school said that his daughter said that a worker from the school touched her private part. He said he would get his daughter medically examined. This made the first girl's grandfather suspicious and he got the girl medically examined.

Medical examinations confirmed the sexual abuse, leading to the filing of an FIR on August 17 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Protests erupted in Badlapur, with hundreds of people blocking railway tracks at Badlapur Station for nearly ten hours, disrupting local train services and diverting 12 outstation trains. The protesters demanded immediate action against the accused and accountability from the school administration and the local police.

Badlapur Sexual Abuse Case: Woman IG To Lead SIT Probe, Ujjwal Nikam Named Special Public Prosecutor

• Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, speaking to reporters, confirmed the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to expedite the investigation. "We are in the process of fast-tracking this case to ensure justice for the victims," he said.
  
  "The incident of rape in Badlapur is very serious, I strongly condemn this incident. The state government has formed an SIT under the leadership of a woman officer of IG rank to investigate the case. The government is trying to get the case to the fast-track court so that the victim's family can get justice as soon as possible," Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed. 
  
  
• Maharashtra Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Aditi Tatkare, revealed that the school's principal has been suspended, and further action will be taken based on the findings of the SIT.
  
  She told news agency ANI, "It's an unfortunate incident. The home ministry has set up an SIT and has sought the report at the earliest... The state home minister has suspended the local police officer who has delayed registering the case. The principal of the school has also been suspended and the management is being investigated... We are concentrating on providing justice to the victim and the harshest possible punishment for those who committed this crime. There has been no ignorance from the govt side in taking action..."
  
  
• Office of Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis took to social media platform X, stating, "Badlapur incident will be speedily investigated and the case will be processed in the fast track court and it has been decided to appoint senior lawyer Ujwal Nikam as a special public prosecutor."
  
  Fadnavis also ordered the immediate suspension of the senior police inspector, assistant sub-inspector, and head constable of Badlapur police station "who delayed action in the initial stage of the Badlapur incident", a post by Maharashtra Deputy CM office handle informed.
  
  
• The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also intervened, with Chairperson Priyank Kanungo criticising the school's and police's initial handling of the case. Kanungo announced that a team would be sent to Badlapur for an independent inquiry.
  
   Speaking to ANI, Priyank Kanungo said, "The school's attitude in this case was insensitive. They tried to suppress the case. The concerned police station did not register an FIR in due time." "A team will be sent to the spot. The Deputy CM of Maharashtra has decided to remove the officers of the concerned police station. This is a positive step. Action should be taken against school administration or those responsible for not registering the FIR and suppressing the case,"  he added.
  
  
• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday sought a detailed report from Maharashtra authorities on the sexual assault case and the delay in filing an FIR in the matter. The Commission took suo motu cognisance of the matter. The body has issued notices to the Maharashtra Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, demanding a detailed report within two weeks. 
  
  
• The 'rail roko' agitation started earlier in the day when frustrated parents and local citizens gathered outside the school, demanding justice. The crowd later moved to the railway station, where they resorted to blocking train services. Some of the protesters earlier damaged school property, breaking gates, window panes, benches, and doors, news agency PTI reported. 
  
  
• Train services at Badlapur Station resumed late in the evening after police cleared the protesters from the tracks after 10 hours, but this was preceded by stone pelting at the site and subsequent lathi-charge.

  #WATCH | Thane, Maharashtra | Train services resumed Badlapur Railway Station earlier this evening, after protesters vacated the railway tracks.
  
  People protested on the railway tracks of the railway station for around 10 hours today, over alleged sexual assault with a girl… pic.twitter.com/QEcvabN6ma

  — ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2024

• The Thane police have committed to filing the chargesheet within ten days.
  
  
• Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IV), Sudhakar Pathare told the media that a comprehensive investigation was underway. He informed that a case had been registered against the accused, who was apprehended within three-and-a-half hours of the First Information Report (FIR) being filed. "Three police officers, including two women, are gathering all evidence to ensure a thorough probe," he said, as quoted by PTI.
  
  
• After the Opposition alleged that the parents of the victim were made to wait for 11 hours before they were allowed to file the FIR, the DCP clarified that the registration process began at 11:30 PM and the accused was arrested by 3:30 AM. He explained that the complexity of gathering information from very young victims, aged between 3 and 4 years, contributed to the time required for case registration.
  
  
• Opposition leaders have strongly criticised the state government’s handling of the incident. Leader of the Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar condemned the alleged delay in filing the FIR, alleging that it was due to the school's connections with influential individuals. "The law and order situation in Maharashtra is dire. We demand that the case be fast-tracked, and the accused be given the death penalty within three months," Wadettiwar told ANI.
  
  
• Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray also weighed in, invoking the Shakti Bill, a proposed legislation for stringent action against sexual offenders. He urged the current government to pass the bill and ensure the strictest action against those responsible, ANI reported.
  
  
• In response to the incident, Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar announced that `Vishakha committees,’ which handle complaints of sexual harassment, will be formed in all schools. Schools found with non-functional CCTV cameras will face severe consequences, and a circular reinforcing this accountability has been issued, PTI reported.

(With Inputs by Mrityunjay Singh and Suraj Ojha)