School principal among three suspended; parents block railway crossing after incident – ​​ThePrint – PTIFeed

Thane, Aug 20 (PTI) – The management of a school in Badlapur in Thane district of Maharashtra has suspended its principal and two staff members in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of two girls. At the same time, angry parents of the schoolchildren have been staging a blockade at the local railway station since Tuesday morning demanding strict action against the accused.

Hundreds of angry parents and residents came onto the tracks of Badlapur railway station around 8 am and blocked the path of trains to draw the attention of the administration to their demand. The protest has been disrupting train services on the uphill and downhill routes since around 8 am.

The girls had told their parents that the guard had 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, police said.

Following the incident late Monday evening, the school administration announced that it had suspended the headmaster, a class teacher and a student and held them responsible for the incident.

The school administration also apologized for the incident.

The company that was awarded the contract for housekeeping has been blacklisted.

Following the incident, vigilance on the school premises will be increased, the school administration said.

The Badlapur police have also transferred the police station in charge because it allegedly did not respond when the parents approached the police, an official said.

This morning, a large group of parents of children studying there gathered outside the institution to demand strict action against those responsible.

After some time, demonstrators, including many women, came onto the tracks with banners and posters and blocked the trains. They shouted slogans and demanded that action be taken against those responsible.

The police and other authorities are finding it difficult to control the situation. Efforts have been made to calm the protesters.

Swapnil Nila, public relations chief of Central Railway, said the unrest at the station was linked to an incident at a school in Badlapur.

In protest against the incident, several organisations have called for a strike in Badlapur.

Local MP Kisan Kathore took up the issue with the authorities and demanded decisive action against the accused and the policemen who failed to respond in time. PTI COR NP

This report is auto-generated by PTI News Service. ThePrint takes no responsibility for its content.