People blocked the tracks where two girls were allegedly sexually abused at a school at Bhadrapur railway station in Thane district on Tuesday. (Ministry of Public Transport)
Chaos in Railway Roko, Bhadrapur: Delay in lodging an FIR by police – with parents of two four-year-old girls allegedly forced to wait for around 11 hours – sparked public outrage amid fears of an attempt to cover up the incident
There were chaotic scenes in Badlapur on Tuesday as two four-year-old kindergarten students were sexually assaulted on school premises, sparking outrage that led to 10 hours of protests at the venue and at the railway station, leading to the suspension of train services , the police also took action.
What causes anger to boil over? While most protesters demanded the death penalty for the arrested defendants, police insensitivity – the girl's parents were allegedly forced to wait for around 11 hours – sparked public outrage by raising concerns about a cover-up.
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The protests, which eventually led to charges being laid against the officers, underscored growing community anger over the handling of the case. While three policemen were suspended over delay in lodging a First Information Report (FIR), the incident triggered a wider discussion on the urgent need to train and sensitize police personnel to handle such sensitive matters.
Delay: 'Timing is key in gathering evidence'
According to the FIR, the incident took place between 9 am and 12 noon on August 13. The FIR was filed 11 hours later, on August 16 at around 9 pm.
Accused cleaner Akshay Shinde, 23, was arrested on August 17 for allegedly abusing girls in the school toilet. The school management has suspended the principal, a head teacher and a waitress.
Senior advocate Jayesh Wani warned that delay in registering cases could have serious consequences. “In such cases, circumstantial and medical evidence are crucial. But since the complaint was lodged so late, it was difficult to collect medical evidence. The delay also gave the accused an opportunity to destroy important circumstantial evidence at the crime scene. If there is no CCTV footage “It will be a major challenge for the police to establish a strong case,” he said.
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Some even believe the police may have initially been trying to protect the school management. Priyank Kanoongo, chairman of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), expressed strong dissatisfaction with the way the case was handled. “The attitude of the school was insensitive. They tried to suppress the case but the police failed to register the FIR in time. A team of NCPCR will be sent to the spot,” Kanoongo said.
An editorial in Shiv Sena UBT mouthpiece Saamana also raised serious concerns, questioning the delay and speculating whether it was done to protect people associated with the school, possibly for political influence. The editorial suggested that the delay in registering the case may have been intentional due to members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) having links to the school.
This is not the first time
The case is the latest in a series of incidents that have come under scrutiny for police in Maharashtra. Recently, the police department was criticized for protecting the accused in the Pune hit-and-run case.
The community's demand for justice remains loud and clear, with Maharashtra police facing growing pressure to ensure such mishandling never happens again.
