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A family member of one of the two kindergarten girls who were sexually abused at a school in Maharashtra's Badlapur has accused school authorities and police of gross negligence and harassment.
The family member alleged that the school principal dismissed medical reports confirming the sexual assault and suggested instead that the girl may have suffered injuries to her private parts due to bicycle riding.
The family member also said that the parents of the girl were forced to wait for extended periods at both the hospital and the police station. They were also allegedly threatened by police officers and told not to participate in the public protest against the handling of the case.
The allegations raise fresh questions about the initial handling of the Badlapur sexual assault case by local authorities. The two girls, aged three and four, were sexually abused at a Badlapur school by a cleaning staffer on August 12-13. The family of one of the girls took her to a private hospital to get a medical test done. After the report confirmed injuries to the girls' private parts, the family went to the school with the report on August 16, but the school dismissed it.
The family member said that later, they went to the police station to file a report. However, their complaints were not immediately taken seriously. It took 12 hours and the intervention of local Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leaders before the FIR was finally registered. The family member alleged that even then, the police made several changes to their statement in the FIR.
The accused, identified as Akshay Shinde, was arrested on August 17.
Furthermore, the family member said that the girl and her parents were subjected to long waits at both the hospital and the police station. They were scheduled for a medical test at a government hospital at 9 am on August 17, but the police only arrived at 11.45 am, the family member said.
The child and her father and pregnant mother were left waiting for hours, adding to their distress.
The entire family is now facing severe health issues, the family member said, adding that the girl is traumatised and refuses to meet anyone. Her pregnant mother is extremely unwell, having been forced to run between the hospital and the police station. The father is bedridden, and the family is overwhelmed by the ongoing police enquiries.
The family member said that the school principal and teacher were made aware of the incident, but they did not take any action. Despite the medical report confirming assault, the principal and the teacher claimed that the injury could have happened outside school, or it could have happened while riding a bicycle, the family member said.
The girl’s parents further asked the school why there was no female staff present when the children had to use the toilet. The two girls were sexually abused by the accused in the toilet.
The family member claimed that they came to know that an incident of sexual abuse of a student had occurred at the school before. We came to know a male teacher of the same school had committed a similar crime against a Class 8 girl, the family member alleged.
The family has also accused a woman cop of holding a secret meeting with the school management to cover up the incident. After this meeting, the officer allegedly dismissed the family's claims, despite the medical evidence. She said that no such incident had happened and asked us not to spread false story, the family member said.
The police's handling of the case and allegations that local authorities were trying to cover up the case led to a massive day-long protest in Baldapur on Tuesday, August 20. Angry locals vandalised the school and a mob disrupted train services at Badlapur railway station.
The family member claimed that they were warned by senior police officers not to participate in the protest. They were allegedly threatened with severe legal consequences, including being charged with instigating the protest, if they were seen agitating.
The family member further said that a police official had asked them to give a written note saying that they did not want any protests to take place. However, the family refused to comply, maintaining that they had not called for the protest but would not submit any written statement disavowing it.
The girl’s family is demanding capital punishment for the accused, arguing that such a strong measure is necessary to deter future crimes. They also want action taken against the school principal and teacher, who they believe failed in their duty to protect the students and respond appropriately to the situation.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Bomaby High Court took note of the sex abuse case and pulled up the cops, observing that they had acted only after public outcry.
