Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole Criticizes Government Over Badlapur Incident

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 24: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole criticized the state government on Saturday for failing to prevent the Badlapur sexual assault case. He stated that such incidents are continuously happening in the state and accused the government of protecting the accused due to their connections with RSS and BJP.

Patole said, “The High Court has scolded the government. This assault on the girls was going on for 15 days. Our allegation was that the board of directors belonged to the RSS and BJP and hence the government was trying to protect them. These kinds of incidents are continuously happening in the state. This government has completely failed.”

He demanded the resignation of the entire government, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, stating, “No one fears this government and the administration. This government doesn’t understand but there is anger among the people. They can do all the self-praise but it won’t last long. Not only Devendra Fadnavis but also the CM, Eknath Shinde, is answerable as such incidents are on the rise in his district and hence the entire government should resign.”

Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad added that efforts are being made to suppress their voices but they will continue to fight. She said, “We don’t want ‘Laadli Behna’, we want ‘Surakshit Behna’. Many incidents are happening in Maharashtra. When we raise our voice against it, the government tries to suppress our voice in various ways, but will we continue our fight.”

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, along with Maha Vikas Aghadi party leaders and workers, staged a protest in Pune against the Badlapur incident. Pawar said, “There is not a day in Maharashtra when there is no news of atrocities against women … The government should take this incident seriously. The government is saying that the opposition is doing politics, calling it politics shows how insensitive the government is.”

The special investigation team (SIT) for the Badlapur sexual assault case has registered an FIR against the school authorities for not complying with the provisions of section 19 of the POCSO Act, which mandates reporting such incidents to the police. The alleged sexual assault of two fourth-grade girls at a school in Maharashtra’s Badlapur has sparked outrage. On August 17, police arrested a school attendant for allegedly abusing the girls.