Badlapur School Incident: Accused Sent to Custody, Minister Proposes Panic Buttons for Safety
The accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days by the Kalyan Court. The incident, involving two fourth-grade girls, has led to widespread outrage.
Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar suggested installing panic buttons in schools and hostels for enhanced safety. He stated, “Just like CCTVs in schools, panic buttons can also be installed… A panic button can also be installed in the hostels… It is an advanced technology.”
On August 23, a special investigation team (SIT) registered an FIR against the school authorities for not complying with Section 19 of the POCSO Act, which mandates reporting such incidents to the police. The investigation team, led by the deputy director of the Mumbai region, identified negligent individuals as co-accused.
A report on the case, prepared by the Women and Child Welfare Department and the Education Ministry, was handed over to Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar on Monday.
Doubts Revealed
Badlapur -: Badlapur is a town in Maharashtra, India. It’s where the incident happened.
Accused -: The accused is the person who is believed to have done something wrong, in this case, the person who committed the assault.
Custody -: Custody means keeping someone in jail or under police watch. The accused is kept in custody to make sure they don’t run away.
Judicial Custody -: Judicial custody means the accused is kept in jail by the order of a judge until the court decides what to do next.
Kalyan Court -: Kalyan Court is a place where legal cases are heard and decided. It’s located in Kalyan, a city near Mumbai in Maharashtra.
Sexual Assault -: Sexual assault is when someone touches another person in a way that is not okay and without their permission. It’s a very serious crime.
Outrage -: Outrage means a lot of people are very angry and upset about something. In this case, people are angry about the assault on the girls.
Maharashtra Education Minister -: The Maharashtra Education Minister is a government official in charge of schools and education in the state of Maharashtra. Right now, it’s Deepak Kesarkar.
Panic Buttons -: Panic buttons are special buttons that people can press to quickly call for help if they are in danger.
FIR -: FIR stands for First Information Report. It’s a document that the police write when someone reports a crime.
School Authorities -: School authorities are the people in charge of running the school, like the principal and teachers.