Badlapur assault case: Child rights commission to investigate Badlapur assault as internet restored following protests
PTC News Desk: In the town of Badlapur, located in Maharashtra’s Thane district, internet services have been restored following a period of suspension due to rising tensions over the sexual assault of two young girls, aged three and four. The assault was allegedly committed by a school sweeper, sparking widespread outrage and protests among the local community. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has announced that it will send a team to Badlapur to conduct an inquiry into the case.
The situation escalated after the two kindergarten girls were reportedly assaulted in the school’s toilet on August 13. The horrific incident came to light on August 16, when one of the victims bravely recounted the ordeal to her parents. Prompt action by the police led to the arrest of the accused, Akshay Shinde, on August 17.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: Police deployed at Badlapur Railway Station, where a massive protest was staged yesterday, against alleged sexual assault with a girl student pic.twitter.com/P2yut0YY8h
— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024
In response to the incident, thousands of residents converged on Badlapur railway station, staging a massive protest that brought the town to a standstill. The protesters blocked the tracks on the Ambernath-Karjat railway section, leading to the disruption of local and long-distance train services for over 10 hours. This included the diversion of 12 express and mail trains, partial cancellation of 30 local trains, and the rerouting of several long-distance trains.
The protests turned violent as anger mounted, with demonstrators throwing stones at the school involved and vandalizing the premises. A bus near Badlapur railway station was also damaged during the unrest. After nine hours, police intervened with a lathi charge to disperse the crowd and clear the rail tracks.
The parents of the victims have voiced serious concerns about the handling of the case by the authorities. They allege that an FIR was only registered 12 hours after they initially reported the incident to the police. Further compounding the issue, sources revealed that the CCTV cameras installed at the school were not operational at the time of the incident. A local doctor has confirmed injuries to the private parts of one of the minors, according to reports.
Parents have also questioned the school’s practices, particularly why a female staff member was not assigned to clean the girls’ washroom, a protocol that could have potentially prevented such an incident.
In the aftermath of the assault, the victims’ families visited the school and waited for three hours before the police arrived to take statements from the girls. The school management has since suspended the principal, a class teacher, and a female attendant in response to the incident. The accused sweeper, Akshay Shinde, had been appointed on a contractual basis on August 1, just weeks before the tragic event occurred.
As the town begins to regain a semblance of normalcy, the NCPCR’s investigation is anticipated to bring further scrutiny to the incident and the subsequent actions of those involved.