Mumbai, August 21: Thousands of protesters blocked train tracks at Maharashtra's Badlapur railway station on Tuesday, August 20, causing significant disruption to local train services and diverting some long-distance trains. The protests erupted following the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls by a school sweeper.
The incident reportedly occurred on August 12-13 at a prominent co-ed school in Thane's Badlapur. The accused, 23-year-old Akshay Shinde, was hired on a contractual basis on August 1, 2024. The assaults took place in the girls’ toilet, which lacked female staff supervision. Adarsh School Badlapur Sexual Assault Case To Be Tried in Fast-Track Court, Says Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde; Warns Action Against School Management.
Harrowing Revelation By Badlapur Sex Assault Victim Girl
The matter came to light when one of the victims complained of pain and disclosed the ordeal to her parents. According to an FIR cited by India Today, the assaults occurred between 9 am and 12 pm on August 13. Suspicion arose when the family of one girl spoke to the other child’s family, who were planning to file a sexual assault complaint. The complaint detailed that the girl appeared frightened and mentioned that an older male at school, referred to as “dada” (Marathi for elder brother), had undressed her and touched her inappropriately.
Further investigation revealed that a second girl had also been assaulted. A complaint was filed on the night of August 16, leading to Shinde’s arrest. The family reported the incident to the police on August 16, claiming the FIR was not filed until 12 hours later, around 9 pm that day. The FIR details the alleged sexual abuse by the accused. Adarsh School Badlapur Sexual Abuse Case: From Massive Protests to CM Eknath Shinde’s Response, Here Are 10 Key Details.
The school has suspended its principal and three staff members in response to escalating protests. Citizens are demanding the death penalty for the school cleaner accused. The protests, which erupted at Badlapur railway station in Thane district, have severely disrupted rail services. This led to the diversion of 12 mail express trains and the partial cancellation of 30 local trains.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2024 01:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).