Exclusive | Badlapur sexual assault: ‘We just want to transfer our girls to another school’

Protesters hold placards demanding capital punishment. Pic/Navneet Barhate

The parents of the two girls sexually assaulted in Badlapur are planning to move their daughters to different schools once the case is resolved. The girls, who were assaulted in their school's toilet, are receiving support for their emotional and physical recovery. One of the parents of the victims said, "The scars left on the girls and the fear instilled in their minds will take time to heal. Right now, our priority is to ensure both the girls recover properly. We'll consider transferring them to another school once they're better. For now, we prefer not to discuss this matter further and wish to avoid any controversy."

Speaking to mid-day, Sangeeta Chendvankar, Badlapur city chief of the MNS (women's wing), relayed instructions from party chief Raj Thackeray, emphasising the need for confidentiality regarding the identities and addresses of the girls and their parents involved. "Raj Thackeray has made it clear that protecting the privacy of these families is our duty," Chendvankar stated. She expressed her first-hand experience of the distress the parents faced over the past week since the incident surfaced.

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Akshay Shinde, the accused

Chendvankar further detailed the emotional and physical toll on the victims. "The two girls were so traumatised that they refused to attend school and developed a fever. After some gentle persuasion, they disclosed that a man at the school had inappropriately touched them and caused them harm," she said. She lamented the initial response from the school's principal, who dismissed the possibility of such an incident occurring at the institution.

"This outright denial was a severe blow to the parents, right after learning about the abuse," she added. Subsequent to the parents reaching out to her, Chendvankar facilitated a medical examination on August 15, which confirmed the sexual assault.

Heavy police presence outside Badlapur police station on Wednesday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Chendvankar criticised the initial handling of the case by both the police and the school administration. "When the police arrived at the school, they consulted the trustee privately, isolating us in a conference room. Following the confirmation of the assault, there was significant procrastination by the authorities and even suggestions by the principal that the injuries could have been self-inflicted during cycling, which was appalling."

Motivated by the urgency and gravity of the situation, Chendvankar obtained letters from the parents and helped them file a police complaint, although they faced delays and long waits. She said that by August 18 and 19, news of the incident had spread, leading to widespread outrage among Badlapur residents, culminating in a rail roko and protests by the community.

Citizens of Badlapur had called for a citywide strike on Tuesday in response to police delays in registering the FIR regarding a recent incident. The parents of the victim were forced to wait 12 hours before they could formally file the case.

The crowd even demanded that the culprit Akshay Shinde be given capital punishment.

12 hrs
Time the parents had to wait to file case