Maharashtra Bandh: MVA Calls For State Wide Shutdown To Protest Badlapur Assault Case

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has announced a "Maharashtra bandh" on August 24 to protest the alleged sexual assault of two young girls at a school in Badlapur in Thane district.

The decision was made during a meeting of MVA allies-Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP)-according to Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra state assembly. He confirmed that all MVA allies will participate in the stating that the alliance discussed the broader issue of women's security in the state and criticized the BJP-led Mahayuti government for its perceived failures.

In a related protest, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad led a demonstration outside Mantralaya, the state secretariat, demanding justice for the victims of the Badlapur incident. Wadettiwar and other Congress leaders joined the protest, where they held placards and shouted slogans against the government, accusing it of delaying the registration of an FIR in the case. The protesters were stopped by police from entering the Mantralaya premises.

Gaikwad and Wadettiwar condemned the state government for what they described as a "rise in crimes against women." The controversy stems from an incident on August 17, when police arrested a school attendant for allegedly sexually abusing two kindergarten students in the school's toilet. The opposition has further alleged that the parents of the victims were made to wait 11 hours at the Badlapur police station before their complaints were acknowledged.

In response to the incident, thousands of protesters on Tuesday blocked railway tracks at Badlapur station and stormed the school building, expressing their outrage over the handling of the case.