Internet services in Badlapur, Maharashtra, were cut off, and most schools stayed closed on Wednesday, August 21, following a major protest at the Badlapur railway station. The protest was sparked by allegations that a sweeper at a local kindergarten sexually abused two four-year-old girls.
On Tuesday, the town of Badlapur was nearly paralyzed as thousands of protesters blocked railway tracks and stormed a local school building. They threw stones at the police and vandalized the school in response to the alleged abuse. The police used batons to disperse the crowd and clear the tracks.
The accused, Akshay Shinde, reportedly abused the girls in the school toilet. In response, the school suspended the principal, a teacher, and a female attendant. The state government also suspended three police officials, including a senior inspector, for failing to properly investigate the case.
Parents and locals, including many women, protested outside the school and disrupted train services from 8:30 am. Some protesters damaged school property, breaking gates, windows, and doors. The school involved is linked to a close relative of a BJP leader from Badlapur.
