Protesters block rail tracks, SIT formed: Here’s all you need to know about the Badlapur school sexual assault case

State school education minister Deepak Kesarkar said, “As per the report, the incident took place between August 13 and 16 and the parents filed the complaint on August 18. The cognisance of the complaint was not taken for 12 hours.”

Kesarkar said the Badlapur school did not have functional CCTV cameras, despite an existing government resolution mandating their presence in schools.

Protests erupted in Badlapur

The protest turned violent as agitators vandalised the school, where the alleged incident occurred last week, and also pelted stones at the Badlapur railway station.

As protesters, including several women, came onto railway tracks and blocked traffic, local train services between Ambernath and Karjat stations were suspended at around 10:10 am.

The rail roko protest at Badlapur station led to the diversion of 12 long-distance trains via alternate routes, while authorities arranged buses for stranded commuters. As many as 30 suburban trains were partially cancelled, and the Railways approached the state and civic transport bodies to ply extra buses.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) deployed additional personnel at stations on the Kalyan-Karjat section of Central Railway.

Some of the protesters broke the gate of the school and vandalised it by breaking the window panes, benches and doors, police said.

As the situation worsened, Thane police officials fired in the air and also used tear gas to disperse the huge crowd outside the school in Badlapur. At some places, there were also reports of mild lathi charge by the police on protesters that held placards and banners demanding a death sentence to the culprit.

A banner read, “Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana. Nahi pahije amhala tumche 1,500 rupaye. Amhala amchi Bahin, aayi, Mulgi surakshit pahije. Yanchi hami dya. Ya Naradhamala fashichi shiksha jhali pahije. (Chief Minister Ladki Bahin Yojana. We don’t need your Rs 1,500. We want our sisters, mothers and daughters to be safe. Give an assurance of this and that the culprit will be published with death penalty).

Police also lathi-charged protesters at Badlapur railway station and used force to disperse them, hours after they hurled stones at the railway station.

What action was taken?

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) headed by an Inspector General of Police-rank officer Aarti Singh. The school principal, a few teachers and two assistants were also suspended.

Advocate Ujjwal Nikam has been appointed the special public prosecutor in Badlapur sexual abuse case.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has directed the police to file an attempt to rape charge against the arrested accused. “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.

Kesarkar said that ‘Vishakha committees’ will be formed in schools. A review meeting was held with education officials earlier this year to check if `Sakhi Savitri committees’ were formed in schools, and if the Badlapur institution had not formed such a committee, action will be taken, the minister further said.

Sakhi Savitri Committee is a three-tiered committee established by the Maharashtra education department to ensure the safety and security of students in schools. The committee is made up of representatives from the school, district, and state levels, and includes teachers, parents, students, school management, health workers, anganwadi sevikas, counselors and stakeholders.

What do the ministers say?

State cabinet minister Girish Mahajan tried to pacify the protesters in the afternoon who responded with slogans like “justice” for the victim girls and capital punishment for the arrested accused. Mahajan’s appeal to vacate the train tracks and assurances that the accused will face the “most severe punishment” was met with the chanting of “hang, hang” by demonstrators.

Meanwhile, a BJP MLA from the Murbad assembly constituency in Thane district, Kisan Kathore, alleged the protest at Badlapur railway station is politically motivated. He claimed agitators have come from neighbouring areas and not from Badlapur. He alleged some individuals associated with political parties had put up banners in Badlapur rejecting the funds offered under the “Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana”, but are now seeking justice.

What has the Opposition said?

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded a fast-track trial and speedy justice in the case. He said on one hand, the Mahayuti government is running the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin scheme for women, but on the flip side, daughters and sisters are not safe. The former chief minister claimed the school where the girls were allegedly sexually abused was linked to BJP leaders.

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly Vijay Wadettiwar said, “Atrocities are committed on a three-and-half years 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?” He demanded that the trial of the case should be completed within three months and the accused should be hanged.

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