Maharashtra: Over 66 arrested for protesting against sexual abuse of two girls in Badlapur

Four first information reports were registered against around 500 protestors and more than 66 persons were arrested in Maharashtra’s Thane district on Tuesday after demonstrations against the alleged sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls in Badlapur, reported The Indian Express.

The girls were allegedly sexually assaulted by a male attendant at their school on August 12. One of them told her parents about the assault on August 16, after which they approached the police.

The accused, Akshay Shinde, has been arrested and booked under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.

The police had arrested Shinde on August 17. A local court on Wednesday extended his police custody till August 26.

On Tuesday, train services were disrupted for ten hours as thousands of protestors gathered at Badlapur railway station and stopped local trains.

The arrested persons have been charged with rioting, damaging public property and causing hurt to public servants, Badlapur’s Deputy Commissioner of Police Sudhakar Pathare told The Indian Express.

More arrests will be made after identifying the protestors through closed-circuit television, or CCTV footage.

Authorities have also suspended internet services in Badlapur since Tuesday evening to curb the spread of rumours about the incident on social media, reported The Indian Express. Internet services will also remain suspended on Wednesday.

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