#Justice for KG students: Protests rock Maharashtra's Badlapur after school attendant sexually assaults two minors

Mumbai: A city-based lawyer on Tuesday requested the Bombay High Court to take suo motu cognizance of the alleged sexual assault of two girls at a school in Badlapur town of Maharashtra.

Advocate Ajinkya Gaikwad approached Justice Bharati Dangre with his plea in the evening. However, the judge asked him to approach the appropriate division or two-member bench. A single bench cannot hear such matters, Justice Dangre said.

Two kindergarten students, aged three and four, were allegedly sexually abused by a 23-year-old school attendant last week. It sparked off a massive railway blockade agitation on Tuesday.

On August 17, police arrested an attendant at the school for sexually abusing two girl students of the kindergarten. As per the complaint, he abused the girls in the toilet of the school. While the school management has suspended the principal, a class teacher, and a female attendant, over the incident, the state government on Tuesday ordered the suspension of three police officials, including a senior police inspector.

The Maharashtra government formed a special investigation team headed by senior IPS officer Arti Singh to probe the case.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the case would be fast-tracked and the guilty would not be spared.

Uddav Thackeray demands speedy justice

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday demanded that the sexual abuse case of school girls in Badlapur be fast-tracked and speedy justice ensured to the victims.

Talking to reporters, Thackeray said the state government is running the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin scheme on the one hand, but daughters of sisters are not safe.

He alleged politics was played over crime against women by targeting certain States. "The (Badlapur) case should be fast-tracked and speedy justice should be ensured to the victims," he said.

Thackeray claimed the school where the girls were allegedly abused sexually was linked to BJP leaders.

Blocked railway tracks

Thousands of protesters on Tuesday blocked railway tracks at Badlapur station over the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls by the school sweeper in the washroom, leading to massive disruption of local train services and diversion of some long-distance trains.

The rail roko protest at Badlapur station caused the diversion of 15 outstation trains and the suspension of local train services on the Ambernath-Karjat section for ten hours, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

The resumption of services was allowed in the night after the Central Railway operated a light engine between Ambernath and Vangni stations to ensure track safety given the eviction of protesters by the police.

Police broke up the protests after nine hours by lathicharging protesters at the railway station.

Reacting to the police action, the Leader of the Opposition in the state legislative council, Ambadas Danve, slammed the government and warned of the common people's anger in Maharashtra.

15 mail-express trains, including Solapur-CSMT Vande Bharat Express, were diverted via Diva-Panvel-Karjat stations until 5 pm. 42 suburban trains between Ambernath and Karjat/ Khopoli remained partially canceled till 9 PM. The Railway sought the requisition of 100 extra buses from state and civic transport bodies for commuters between Kalyan and Karjat and received 55 buses.

According to railway sources, Kolhapur-bound Koyna Express from Mumbai was held up four hours between Ambernath and Badlapur stations. Around 1 pm, the train was reversed and diverted via the Kalyan-Diva-Panvel-Karjat route.

Badlapur is one of the major railway stations in the Thane district on the main line of the Central Railway that operates more than 1,800 suburban services daily. Of those 894 trains operated on the main line.

Inputs from PTI