Badlapur schoolgirls sexual assault case: From ‘rail-roko’ to stone pelting to formation of SIT — all you need to know

A massive protest was held at Badlapur railway station on Tuesday over the alleged sexual assault incident involving two kindergarten girls at a school in Maharashtra’s Thane district.

The protest turned violent as angry demonstrators vandalised the school where the alleged incident occurred last week and pelted stones at the Badlapur railway station. The protesters blocked railway tracks, halting train services on the Kalyan–Karjat section of Central Railway.

At least 10 mail-express trains, including Solapur-CSMT Vande Bharat Express, were diverted via Karjat-Panvel-Thane stations, and local train services between Ambernath and Karjat stations were suspended from 10:10 am, according to the chief public relations officer (CRPO) of Central Railway.

The Maharashtra government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged sexual abuse of the minor girls and directed the Thane police commissioner to prepare a proposal to try the case in a fast-track court.

"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 the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act," Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said.

The chief minister also directed the Thane commissioner of police to check whether the Sakhi Savitri committee have been formed in schools or not.

Meanwhile, Vijay Wadettiwar — Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly — alleged that the parents of a girl who was sexually abused were made to sit at the police station for 11 hours to file their complaint.

Taking to microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Wadettiwar posted, "The parents of the victim girls were kept in the police station for eleven hours without taking any complaint. The demand has been made to the commissioner of police that the female police officer who neglected this matter should be suspended."

"Our demand is that the case should be fast-tracked within three months and the accused should be sentenced to death,” Wadettiwar added.

Here's what we know about the case so far

• Two girls, three and four years old, were allegedly sexually abused by a male attendant in the school toilet.
• The accused is a 23-year-old male cleaning staff member.
• No female staff were appointed by the school for the girls’ toilets.
• The incident came to light when a victim complained of pain in her private parts. The victim later informed her parents that the accused touched her private parts when she had gone to use the toilet.
• The parents contacted the parents of the girl's friend. They told the former that their daughter was also scared to attend the school.
• Alarmed parents got the girls examined by a local doctor, who revealed that both the minor girls had been allegedly sexually assaulted.
• The Maharashtra Police arrested the school attendant under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

• The management of the school suspended its principal and two staffers following the protest of angry parents after the alleged sexual assault.
• The school management tendered an apology over the episode and blacklisted the firm which has been given the contract for housekeeping.
• The Badlapur police also transferred the police station in-charge for allegedly failing to act when the parents approached the police.
• Angry protests vandalised the school and stone-pelted at the Badlapur railway station. The protesters blocked railway tracks, halting train services on the Kalyan–Karjat section of the central railway.
• The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said it will dispatch a team to Thane following the alleged sexual assault in the school. The apex child rights body has also questioned the delay in the registration of an FIR in the matter.

• Suspension of three police officials: The state government today ordered the suspension of three police officials, including a senior police inspector, for alleged dereliction of duty in probing the sexual abuse of two girls at the Badlapur school amid massive protests.

"The orders of immediate suspension of the senior police inspector, assistant sub-inspector and head constable attached to Badlapur police station for the dereliction of duty have been issued," Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis posted on X.

• The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) warned of legal action if the school's management is found negligent.
• The chief minister instructed the Thane police commissioner to ensure the case was handled with utmost urgency and efficiency. Additionally, the chief minister has called for a review to confirm whether Sakhi Savitri committees, which are designed to support and safeguard students, have been established in schools, the CMO stated.

• CM Shinde also proposed several measures aimed at improving school safety and preventing future abuse such as installing complaint boxes in every school and enhancing scrutiny of school staff who frequently interact with students.