Police have lathi-charged and dispersed the people who were blocking the railway track against the alleged sexual harassment of two minor girls in a school in Badlapur of Thane district in Maharashtra.
The protesters pelted stones at the police. In response, the police used force and dispersed the people sitting on the railway track.
From the other side of the station, protesters responded with stones, till the station turned into a war zone. But the police prevailed, giving chase to the protesters as they ran helter skelter.
The outrage over the sexual assault has grown as more details emerged. Thousands of protesters had flocked to the local train station in Badlapur in the morning and blocked the movement of trains. Six hours on, the crowds grew, leading to concerns about train movement and law and order.
The government's efforts to defuse the tension was answered by chants of 'hang, hang" from the crowd, who are demanding the death penalty for the 23-year-old cleaner allegedly involved.
What has further enraged the protesters is the Opposition claim that the parents of the girls were made to wait 11 hours at a local police station for lodging FIR. The three police personnel involved have been suspended by the government.
Maharashtra government minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan tried to speak to the people protesting on the railway track, but he could not say much in front of the angry protesters.
Girish Mahajan said, "It seems that this movement is politically motivated. But the government is committed to investigate it. The government has formed an SIT for this."
Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also ordered strict action.
People have called for a 'Badlapur Bandh' after the alleged sexual assault of two girls aged four and six years in a reputed school in Badlapur.
Thousands of citizens protested in front of the school and demanded strict punishment for the accused.
The two girls were sexually assaulted inside the girls' toilet at the English Medium school on August 16. The accused has been arrested. The school administration has suspended the principal and dismissed the class teacher and nanny.
Investigation revealed several lapses on part of the school - there were no female attendants in the girls' toilets, a basic safety requirement. Many of the school's CCTV cameras were not working either.
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