Protests Erupt in Badlapur Over Alleged Assault of Two Minors
Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan Addresses Agitators
Thane (Maharashtra) [India], August 20: Protests have broken out in Badlapur, Maharashtra, following the alleged sexual assault of two fourth-grade girls at a local school. Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan spoke with the protesters for an hour, urging them to vacate the railway track they had blocked. He assured them that their demands for a fast-track trial and action against the school administration and negligent police officers had been met. However, he stated that their demand for the accused to be brought before them and hanged was not feasible under the law.
Minister Mahajan said, “A protest has been ongoing here for the past 10 hours. We have all opposed the incident that has taken place. I have been here since this afternoon. I spoke with the agitators for an hour and also requested them to vacate the Railway track. We have met all their demands: For trial in fast track court, we appointed Ujjwal Nikam as the advocate, action against school administration, action against negligent police officers.”
Reacting to the protests, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve criticized the police’s use of lathi charge on the protesters, questioning Minister Mahajan’s presence and the overall competence of the Maharashtra government.
Protesters at Badlapur railway station clashed with police, pelting stones after security personnel used lathi charge to disperse the crowd. Earlier, police had used tear gas to control the enraged residents who began stone-pelting at the school where the crime took place.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned the alleged assault and announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case. He also ordered the suspension of senior police officers who delayed action in the initial stages of the incident.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered a high-level probe and assured strict action against those found guilty. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also expressed their outrage, calling for stringent measures against the accused.
Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar confirmed that one accused had been arrested and assured maximum punishment. The police continue to investigate the case and maintain peace in the community.
Doubts Revealed
Badlapur -: Badlapur is a town in the state of Maharashtra, India. It’s a place where people live, go to school, and work.
Minors -: Minors are children who are not yet adults. In this case, it refers to two young girls in the fourth grade.
Maharashtra -: Maharashtra is a state in western India. It has big cities like Mumbai and Pune.
Girish Mahajan -: Girish Mahajan is a politician in Maharashtra. He is a minister, which means he has an important job in the government.
Fast-track trial -: A fast-track trial is a court case that is sped up so it can be finished quickly. This is done to get justice faster.
School administration -: School administration refers to the people who run the school, like the principal and other staff members.
Negligent police officers -: Negligent police officers are those who did not do their job properly. In this case, they delayed taking action.
Feasible -: Feasible means possible or practical. If something is not feasible, it can’t be done easily or at all.
Deputy Chief Minister -: The Deputy Chief Minister is the second-highest-ranking official in a state government. Devendra Fadnavis is the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Special Investigation Team -: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is a group of experts who look into serious cases. They make sure the investigation is done properly.
Suspension -: Suspension means temporarily stopping someone from doing their job. In this case, senior police officers were suspended for not acting quickly.
