Protest at Indian railway station over alleged abuse of girls

NEW DELHI — Hundreds of protesters have gathered at a railway station in the western state of Maharashtra to protest against the alleged sexual assault of two children.

The girls were allegedly abused last week when they went to use the toilet in their nursery school in Thane district’s Badlapur city.

Police have arrested a male employee of the school, but the parents of the children have alleged there was a delay in action.

On Tuesday, train services at the Badlapur railway station were stopped as angry protesters blocked the tracks, demanding justice for the children.

Local reports say that some protesters also pelted stones at the police.

Videos shared on social media showed huge crowds jostling against each other at a railway platform.

The state’s Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to look into the matter and that action would be taken against the school.

“We are in the process of fast-tracking this case, and no one will be spared if found guilty,” he said.

The school’s management has also come under scrutiny after the parents of the children alleged various safety lapses, including the lack of functional CCTV cameras at campus.

Priyank Kanungo, chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, called the school’s attitude towards the case “insensitive” and alleged that it had tried to “suppress the case”.

“The concerned police station did not register an FIR (First Information Report or an initial complaint) in due time,” he added.

The police and the school’s management has not responded to these allegations.

But the school has suspended its principal, a class teacher and a female employee over the incident, according to the Times of India newspaper.

The protest is taking place in the aftermath of an outpouring of anger across India over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in the eastern state of West Bengal.

The 31-year-old woman’s body was found earlier this month in the seminar room of a state-run hospital in Kolkata where she worked. — BBC