 "Thane horror: How cops’ apathy in sexual abuse case led to mass protests and vandalism")
Trains were halted, stones were pelted and the school was vandalised.
Massive protests led by parents of the school children and locals gripped Thane’s Badlapur on Tuesday, August 20, after two girls were allegedly sexually abused by an attendant hired by school authorities.
The outrage grew as shocking details emerged after the investigation continued into the case.
Here’s what turned the city into a battleground:
The shocking incident
Two kindergarten students at an English medium school in Badlapur were sexually abused by a male cleaning staff member on August 13.
Badlapur is a city in Thane district, Maharashtra state.
The victims, aged three and four, were abused in the toilet of the school, as per NDTV.
The assault came to light when a girl complained of pain in her private parts. She later told her parents that the accused touched her private parts when she had gone to use the toilet.
The girl’s parents called the parents of the girl’s friend. They revealed to the former that their daughter shared their fear of attending school.
Following the children’s examination by a local physician, the parents learnt that both girls had experienced sexual assault.
On August 17, the accused — a 23-year-old man named Akshay Shinde — was taken into custody. On August 1, 2024, he was appointed on a contractual basis.
The accused is scheduled to appear in court today to be placed under additional police custody.
An investigation found other shortcomings on the part of the school, including the absence of female attendants in the girls’ restrooms, which is a basic safety requirement. A large number of the CCTV cameras at the school were also broken.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe school’s administration has apologised for the incident and placed the company that was given the housekeeping contract on a blacklist, according to Deccan Herald.
11 hours to file an FIR
The parents have alleged that they were made to wait for 11 hours at Badlapur police station before the officials took note of their complaints, as per PTI.
The incident occurred on August 13, but the FIR was filed on August 16, reported NDTV.
The opposition parties have also made the same claims.
“Atrocities are committed on a three-and-a-half-year-old girl, a four-year-old girl, and at the police station, they (parents) are made to wait for 11 hours when they seek to file a complaint… Is there any sensitivity left? I spoke to the police commissioner and told him that the woman police officer responsible for this delay must be suspended immediately,” Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly Vijay Wadettiwar alleged.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded a fast-track trial and speedy justice on Tuesday.
Padma Shri awardee and advocate Ujjwal Nikam, who has worked on high-profile murder and terrorism cases, such as the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, has been appointed as the special public prosecutor in the case.
Rage and protests in Badlapur
On Tuesday, thousands of angry parents and citizens stormed the school and vandalised it over the incident.
They had flocked to the local train station in Badlapur in the morning and blocked the movement of trains.
After six hours, the crowds got larger, raising questions about law and order and the train movement.
The crowd reacted to the government’s attempts to diffuse the situation by chanting “hang, hang,” demanding that the 23-year-old cleaner who was reportedly involved receive the death penalty.
The demonstrators gathered on the railway tracks and threw stones at the officers after they were caned by the police.
The situation was soon brought under control.
The fact that the girls’ parents had to wait 11 hours at a nearby police station to receive a First Information Report infuriated the demonstrators even more. The administration has placed the three involved police officers on suspension.
In the context of the recent controversy surrounding the rape and death of a young trainee doctor in Kolkata, the Thane protest seemed to have attracted attention from the neighbouring local communities also.
In connection with the protest, the Kalyan Government Railway Police has registered a case against about 300 to 400 people and arrested 28 of them, as per The Times of India.
Meanwhile, eight women and two juveniles have been released after receiving notices.
Action taken so far
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team, which will be led by IPS officer Arti Singh, as per PTI.
Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde said action will be taken against the school, adding that the case will be fast-tracked and the guilty won’t be spared.
“I have spoken to the Thane Commissioner of Police. The accused has been arrested. I have asked the case to be fast-tracked and book the accused under the charges of attempt to rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,” he said.
Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said “Vishakha committees” will be formed in schools, which will also face action if CCTV cameras installed on their premises are found to be non-functional.
The panels will provide a platform for raising grievances of female students, especially those in grades 9th, 10th, and junior college, the minister said.
While the school management has suspended the principal, a class teacher, and a female attendant over the incident, the state government on Tuesday ordered the suspension of three police officials, including a senior police inspector, for alleged dereliction of duty in probing the case.
“The orders of immediate suspension of the senior police inspector, assistant sub-inspector and head constable attached to Badlapur police station for dereliction of duty have been issued,” said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also hold the Home portfolio.
NHRC involved
The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of Maharashtra, demanding a detailed report within two weeks.
Among other things, the Commission’s directive calls for clarity on the reasons behind the reported “11-hour delay” in registering the FIR after the parents lodged a complaint with the police.
With inputs from agencies
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