Maharashtra Protests Erupt Over Badlapur Sexual Assault Case; Opposition and BJP Clash Amid Outrage

Maharashtra Protests Erupt Over Badlapur Sexual Assault Case; Opposition and BJP Clash Amid Outrage

The Nationalist Congress Party – Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), Shiv Sena (UBT), and Congress leaders and workers, including the rest of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, protested across Maharashtra on Saturday against the horrific incident at Badlapur, in which two minor teenage girls were said to be sexually assaulted. Former Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday led the protest outside Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar and launched a scathing attack on the Eknath Shinde-led state government. According to Thackeray, the ruling dispensation was shielding the accused involved in the case, further fuelling public outrage.

“We organized a bandh demanding respect and security for the daughters…in this state. This kind of shameless administration, the state of Maharashtra has never seen,” Thackeray said, adding that his party would intensify its agitation against the ruling parties. He further attacked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis regarding their “failure” to control growing crimes against women and girls.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said this, noting the horrendous increase in atrocities against women, and further stated that 12 such incidents had occurred in the state in just 10 days. “Maharashtra is demanding implementation of Shakti law to curb such heinous crimes,” she added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut defended the bandh, calling it a constitutional right to protest against such atrocities. Street protests were carried out by all leaders of the three opposition parties against the Badlapur incident.

State Congress chief Nana Patole and the NCP-SP leader Jayant Patil participated in the protests to express solidarity with the victims of violence and called for some form of justice.

BJP workers of Bharatiya Janata Party organized counter-protests in various areas of the state, demanding exemplary punishment for the accused in a fast-track court. Stating that the case is of prime importance and needs to be held, BJP leader Atul Save, who is also the state housing minister, insisted the tribunal to take prompt action in the case. The order of the Bombay High Court followed by a statement by Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar: “Respecting the court’s decision, we have withdrawn the bandh. But it is duty of opposition to raise its voice when government has failed in controlling growing crimes against women.”

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The Badlapur sexual assault case has evoked widespread outrage across the state.

The incident occurred on 13 August when a 23-year-old school cleaning department staff, member Akshay Shinde, suspected of molesting two school premises 4-year-old girls. The family of the victims wasn’t informed one of the information that the crime. The horrific act came to attention as children started showing the symptoms of trauma. The police arrested Shinde on August 17, and the case has since become a flash point for protests and demands for stronger legal protections for women and children.