Sexual assault of 4-yr-old girls in Maha: Protesters storm school building, block rly tracks

Mumbai: Thousands of protesters on Tuesday blocked railway tracks at Badlapur station in Thane district and stormed a local school building after the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls by the school sweeper in the washroom. Police cane-charged the protesters, who occupied the railway tracks, pelting stones at policemen. Hundreds of protesters, many of them angry parents, vandalised the school building to express their disgust over the sexual assault.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he has ordered the formation of a special investigation team headed by senior IPS officer Arti Singh. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said action will be taken against the school, adding that the case will be fast-tracked and the guilty won't be spared.

At Badlapur station, incensed protestors were seen shouting “hai, hai” slogans against the police officials and demanded death penalty for the sweeper allegedly involved in the assault. Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said `Vishakha committees' will be formed in schools, which will also face action if CCTV cameras installed on their premises are found to be non-functional. The panels will provide a platform for raising grievances of girl students, especially those in standards 9th, 10th and junior college, the minister said. A notice has been issued to the Badlapur school, and its principal, a few teachers and two assistants have been suspended, Kesarkar said.

The protest at Badlapur railway station in Thane district continued throughout the day as the crowd, including several women, refused to heed pleas of officials to allow the passage of trains. State minister Girish Mahajan tried to pacify the protesters in the afternoon who raised slogans seeking justice for the victims and capital punishment for the arrested accused.