Sexual abuse of school girls: CM Shinde asks police to invoke attempt to rape charge against accused

Mumbai, Aug 20 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said he has directed the police that the accused arrested for sexually abusing two girl students at a school in Badlapur in Thane district be booked under the attempt to rape charge.

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.

Hundreds of parents of the children studying in the school at Badlapur have been staging a ‘rail roko’ protest at Badlapur railway station since Tuesday morning to condemn the incident of sexual abuse and to demand strict action against the accused. The protest has affected the movement of suburban trains.

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.

School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said a police official has been transferred because no cognisance was taken for 12 hours after the parents lodged the complaint with the police.

A notice has also been served to the school, and its principal and a class teacher have been suspended, he said.

He said he has ordered setting up of Vishaka committees in the schools, Kesarkar said.

The police arrested the attendant at the school for allegedly abusing two girls studying in the kindergarten at the school.

According to the complaint, he abused the girls in the toilet of the school.

The girls had told their parents that the attendant touched them inappropriately, following which a complaint was lodged and a case was registered against him. He was later arrested, the police said.