Incident occurred in Thane District’s Badlapur
Two three-year-old girls in pre-primary classes at a co-ed school in Thane District, Maharashtra, were allegedly sexually abused in the girls’ lavatory by a male cleaning staffer. The cops have filed a report and arrested the accused. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has promised to expedite the investigation, and a special investigative team to investigate it has already been created.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered the creation of a SIT (Special Investigation Team) led by top police officer Arti Singh to investigate the event.
The incident happened on August 12-13, when the girls went to use the restroom. The incident came to light after both girls declined to attend school because they were afraid of what had occurred to them. When the parents inquired about the cause for their behavior, they informed them of the sexual assault that occurred at the school.
Also read: Case registered against Malayalam director for duping a financial firm
Accused cleaner Akshay Shinde has been arrested
Akshay Shinde, the accused, was placed on police remand for three days by the court.
The accused was taken into custody by the police on Friday night after the girls’ parents lodged a complaint.
The school administration informed the police during the investigation that the CCTV cameras were not operational on the day of the incident.
Protests erupt after incident
The incident triggered widespread protests across Badlapur, with enraged protestors stopping the local train at the Badlapur railway station.
It has been six hours since the agitators blocked the local trains at the spot.
As part of the protest, stores and other businesses in the Badalpur district were closed on Tuesday. The school where the alleged sexual assault happened was also forced to close. Local political officials and sympathizers also attended the demonstration.
