Sexual abuse of girls: School Principal among 3 suspended; parents stage rail blockade over incident
Thane (PTI): The management of a school at Badlapur in Maharashtra's Thane district has suspended its principal and two staffers in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of two girls, while angry parents of the school children have been staging a blockade since Tuesday morning at the local railway station seeking stringent action against the accused.
Hundreds of irate parents and local citizens came onto the tracks at the Badlapur railway station around 8 am and blocked the path of trains to draw the administration's attention to their demand. The protest has affected the movement of trains on Up and Down routes since around 8 am.
On August 17, the police arrested a school attendant at the school for allegedly abusing two girls studying in the kindergarten, aged three and four years. As per the complaint, he abused the girls in the toilet of the school.
The girls had told their parents that the attendant touched them inappropriately, following which a complaint was filed and a case was registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He was later arrested, the police said.
In the wake of the incident, the management of the school said on Monday late evening that it has suspended the principal, a class teacher and a female attendant, holding them responsible for it.
The school management also tendered an apology over the episode.
It said it has blacklisted the firm which has been given the contract for housekeeping.
Vigilance on the school premises will be increased in the wake of the incident, the school authorities said.
The Badlapur police also transferred the police station in-charge for allegedly failing to act when the parents approached the police, an official said.
This morning, a large group of the parents of the children studying in the school gathered outside the institution to demand strict action against those guilty.
After some time, carrying banners and placards, protesters, including a large number of women, came on to the tracks and blocked trains. They shouted slogans to demand action against the guilty.
The police and other authorities are finding it tough to control the situation. Efforts were on to pacify the protesters.
Central Railway chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said the agitation was going on at the railway station in connection with an incident in a Badlapur school.
A call for Badlapur bandh has been given by several organisations to protest against the incident.
Local MLA Kisan Kathore took up the issue with the authorities, and demanded strong action against the accused and the police personnel who failed to take timely action.
VIDEO | Maharashtra: 'Rail roko' protest held at Badlapur railway station over alleged sexual assault of two nursery kids by a male attendant at a local school.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 20, 2024
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/dv5TRARJn4) pic.twitter.com/Wrokf0NC02
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Congress wins 18 seats in Assam; 17 Muslim candidates among victors
Guwahati: The Indian National Congress has secured victory in 18 Assembly constituencies in Assam, according to the latest results.
Out of the 18 winning candidates, 17 are from the Muslim community. The only non-Muslim candidate among the winners is Dr. Joy Prakash Das, who won from the Nowboicha constituency.
The constituencies where Congress candidates emerged victorious include Parbatjhora, Gauripur, Dhubri, Birsing Jarua, Jaleshwar, Goalpara East, Srijangram, Chenga, Pakabetbari, Chamaria, Lahorighat, Rupahihat, Samaguri, Nowboicha, Sonai, Algapur-Katlicherra, Karimganj North, and Karimganj South.
Among the winners are MD Ashraful Islam Sheikh from Parbatjhora, Abdus Sobahan Ali Sarkar from Gauripur, Baby Begum from Dhubri, Wazed Ali Choudhury from Birsing Jarua, and Aftab Uddin Mollah from Jaleshwar.
Other winners include Abul Kalam Rasheed Alam from Goalpara East, MD. Nurul Islam from Srijangram, Abdur Rahim Ahmed from Chenga, Jakir Hussain Sikdar from Pakabetbari, Rekibuddin Ahmed from Chamaria, Dr Asif Mohammad Nazar from Lahorighat, Nurul Huda from Rupahihat, Tanzil Hussain from Samaguri, Aminul Haque Laskar from Sonai, Zubair Anam Mazumder from Algapur-Katlicherra, Jakaria Ahmed from Karimganj North, and Aminur Rashid Choudhury from Karimganj South.
