Thane: Two 4-year-olds sexually assaulted in school; locals stage 'rail roko' protest
After the sexual assault of two kindergarten children in a Thane school came to light, police arrested a cleaner. But angry residents protested blocking rail traffic
Two four-year-old girls studying in kindergarten at a Thane school in Maharashtra were allegedly sexually assaulted by a 23-year-old male cleaning staff inside the girls' toilet at their school.
This horrific incident has triggered a massive protest in the area on Tuesday (August 20) as the residents gathered at the Badlapur railway station and squatted on the railway tracks blocking rail traffic.
The two four-year-old girls were allegedly sexually assaulted by a cleaning staff in the school on August 16. A complaint was registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and he was arrested the next day.
As per the complaint, he assaulted the two children inside the school toilet.
The principal and two staffers of the school have been subsequently suspended. The school management said it has suspended the principal, a class teacher and a female attendant holding them responsible for the crime on the children inside the school premises.
The management also tendered a public apology and said that they will step up vigilance in the school premises.
Angry parents
The parents, however, are still angry and are dissatisfied with the school management's response.
Preliminary police investigations have revealed that there were no female attendants present in the girls' toilets, which is a basic safety requirement. Moreover, many of the school's CCTV cameras were found to be non-functional.
Since Tuesday morning, the parents are engaged in a sit-in at the nearby Badlapur railway station in Thane district seeking stringent action against the accused.
Hundreds of parents and citizens poured onto the station tracks and staged a rail roko blocking the movement of trains to draw the administration's attention to their demand. The protest has affected the movement of suburban trains.
Police officer shunted out
The in-charge of the police station at Badlapur was also transferred for allegedly failing to act when the parents approached the police, an official said.
A call for Badlapur ‘bandh’ has been given by several organisations to protest against the two sexual assault cases at the Thane school.He also said that the case will be fast-tracked and a special public prosecutor will be appointed for the case.
"I have spoken to the Thane Commissioner of Police. The accused has been arrested. I have asked the case to be fast-tracked and book the accused under the charges of attempt to rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act," he said.
CM Shinde appealed to the parents to exercise restraint as the rail blockade was hampering the functioning of local trains.
Thane district's guardian minister Shamburaj Desai termed the incident as unfortunate. He said he has asked Thane district collector to probe the matter.
"Two probes will be conducted - one by the education department and second by the zonal deputy commissioner of police to ascertain as to why there was a delay in registering the offence as alleged by the parents," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
