Protests Erupt Over Sexual Assault of 4-Year-Olds in Thane School: Stones Thrown at Cops

Protests Erupt Over Sexual Assault of 4-Year-Olds in Thane School: Stones Thrown at Cops

In a very shocking incident in Thane, Maharashtra, two girls aged four years were molested by a 23-year-old male cleaning staff of an English medium teaching school. The man molested the two girls inside the girls’ toilet on August 16.

The incident sparked widespread agitation: residents took to blocking the Mumbai rail route at Badalpur railway station, causing immense disruption in the train services. Graphic scenes show demonstrators hurling stones at police as they tried to scatter over the railroad tracks.

The accused has been arrested after an FIR was lodged. While the school has initiated action – suspending the principal and relieving the class teacher and nanny concerned from their services – the parents and local residents are up in arms.

Most of them are unhappy with the school’s action so far; there is no formal apology or official assurance that the students will be safe in the future.

The investigations expose poor lapses in the security preparedness of the school. There were no female attendants in the female toilets, which is a normal basic safety requirement in a school. Moreover, several of the school’s CCTV cameras have been found non-functional, raising questions on the adequacy of the surveillance system.

Mr Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister, has ordered that a Special Investigation Team be formed to speed up the probe in view of the incident. It has asked the Thane Police Commissioner to prepare a proposal to fast-track the case through courts.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also took note of the situation and said, “I take serious cognizance of the incident in Badlapur. An SIT is already in place and we are acting to fast-track this case. We will ensure justice and see that nobody will be let off.”.

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Mumbai: Oppn leader Vijay Wadettiwar flays collapse in law and order. He said, “The incident is a black dot on Maharashtra. There is widespread demand for fast-track trial and severe punishment to the accused.”. Former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray demanded quick action.

“The delay in delivering justice, as seen in cases like Nirbhaya, is not acceptable. Even those responsible for delaying justice should be taken to task. Pass this without getting into any politics,” he said.