New Delhi, August 21
Massive protests were witnessed in Maharashtra's Thane district where two toddlers were molested inside a school washroom by a staffer. The protests were widespread in Badlapur demanding security of students inside school and questioning the police and government on ‘delayed action’ and attempts to suppress the case.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has launched an investigation into the case and said it would send a team to Badlapur for an inquiry into the case.
The two kindergarten girls were sexually abused in the school toilet on August 13, according to the police. The incident came to light after one of the girls narrated the ordeal to her parents on August 16. The accused, Akshay Shinde, who was working as a weeper on contractual basis, was arrested on August 17.
The protests prompted government to shut down the Internet in Badlapur which was restored on August 20 late hours. The local train services on the Ambernath-Karjat section resumed after 10 hours as protesters held a rail roko protest at Badlapur railway station.
The police stated that thousands of people gathered at Badlapur railway station after the incident came to light and held protests. The protests turned violent angry locals threw stones at the school and vandalised it and also damaged a few vehicles in the vicinity.
The police resorted to lathicharge to control the violence.
The parents of the two kindergarten girls alleged that an FIR was registered 12 hours after their appeal to the police. The Inspector of the police station also delayed registering the case and tried to cover it up. The CCTV installed at the school was not working. A local doctor confirmed injuries to the private parts of one of the minor. The victims' families went to the school and waited for three hours there before the police arrived to obtain statements from the girls.
The Maharashtra government ordered the suspension of three police officials, including a senior police inspector, for alleged dereliction of duty in probing the case. It also set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated he has directed the Thane Police Commissioner to prepare a proposal to try the case in a fast-track court. Meanwhile, the accused was sent to a three-day police remand by a court.
The school management suspended the principal, a class teacher, and a female attendant, over the incident.
