Badlapur sexual assault of schoolgirls: Protest turns violent; SIT formed

Protests over the alleged sexual assault of two schoolgirls in Badlapur town of Maharashtra’s Thane district turned violent as angry demonstrators vandalised the school and blocked railway tracks on Tuesday, halting train services on the Kalyan–Karjat section of the central railway.
The Maharashtra government has formed a special investigation team under inspector general Aarti Singh to investigate into the entire episode. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the state home minister, said action will also be taken against police officers if they are found guilty of dereliction of duty.
“We have decided to try the case in a fast-track court. The Thane police commissioner has been asked to submit a proposal and hand over the case. The SIT under IPS officer Singh will submit the report at the earliest,” Fadnavis said.
Chief minister chief minster Ekanath Shinde said police officers have been asked to take strict action against the accused. The state government has deputed rural development minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan and school education minister Deepak Kesarkar to visit Badlapur and handle the situation.
Earlier in the day, the parents of the girls were on a silent protest outside the school in the morning before a sudden crowd joined the agitation between 9.30am and 10am, escalating the situation in view of the inadequate police deployment. MNS leader Sangita Chedvankar, who was leading the protest, immediately left the spot, while BJP MLA Kisan Kathore allegedly looked on as the crowd went amok.
To compound the issue, senior police inspector Shubhda Shitole was recently transferred due to delays in the handling of the case.
The school suspended the principal and three staff members as the protests escalated, but citizens have demanded a death penalty to the accused, a cleaner in the school.
The Thane police have deployed heavy forces, even as Government Railway Police (GRP) commissioner Ravindra Shisve tried to pacify the crowd by assuring the protestors that stern action would be taken against the accused. However, the agitators refused to budge and went on with their rail blockade.
The police eventually fired tear gas and lathi-charged the crowd that had gathered outside the school and at the railway station, further agitating the protesters who then resorted to stone-pelting.
Local train services between Badlapur and Karjat have been suspended, and 10 express trains were diverted via the Karjat-Panvel-Thane route, while local trains between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Ambarnath were running as per schedule.
The case
Two four-year-old girls studying in pre-primary classes at a prominent co-ed school in Badlapur were allegedly sexually assaulted by a 23-year-old male cleaner on August 12-13. The assaults occurred in the girls’ toilet, which reportedly lacked female staff supervision. The accused was hired on August 1, 2024, on a contractual basis.
The matter came to light when one of the girls complained of pain and disclosed her ordeal to her parents. The shocked parents then discovered that a second girl was also allegedly assaulted. A complaint was filed on Friday night, leading to the alleged perpetrator’s arrest.