Badlapur in Maharashtra's Thane district witnessed massive protests on Tuesday over the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls by a cleaner of a local school.
Internet services would be suspended as Thane police lodged FIRs against protesters who stormed railway stations, disrupting local train services. Here are the top developments.
The Thane police registered FIRs against around 300 people who were protesting yesterday. Police have arrested more than 40 people, who would be presented in court today.
Internet services would remain suspended for few days, to avoid spreading of misleading information and rumours, Manoj Patil, DCP, GRP of Central Railway, told ANI.
"No section has been imposed. Internet services will be suspended for a few days so that rumours do not spread," said Patil.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam will be the special public prosecutor in the Badlapur sexual assault case. Fadnavis also assured that the trial in case the case would be held at a Fast Track court.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has ordered a high-level probe into the case and has said a Special Investigation Team(SIT) will be formed.
“We are in the process to fast track this case, and no one will be spared if found guilty,” Shinde was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
The government also ordered the suspension of three police officers, including a senior police officer, assistant sub-inspector, and head constable, following the incident. Fadnavis took to X to announce that the suspension orders were issued.
Massive protests at railway stations led to the diversion of several long distance trains, including the Mumbai-Surat Vande Bharat, Pune Duronto, and other key trains.
Local train services on the Ambarnath and Karjat routes were also affected due to the protests.
State Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said that a probe is on to find out why the CCTV cameras were not working. He said four IAS officers from Pune and Mumbai had been assigned to work on the case.
Vishakha committees, aimed to provide a platform for the students to share their grievances, would be formed at the school level, Kesarkar told TOI.
The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo moto cognisance of the Badlapur sexual assault case and has sought a detailed report on the incident.
UBT Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi condemned the incident, stating that the entire state has been outraged over the incident. She further urged the President to approve the Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, in a post on X.
The two girls were allegedly sexually assaulted by a 23-year-old male cleaner, Akshay Shinde, on August 12-13. The assaults occurred in the girls’ toilet. The accused was hired on August 1, 2024, on a contractual basis by the school authorities.
