Badlapur School Case: Male Cleaner Allegedly Sexually Assaulted Two 4-Year-Old Girls In School Toilet

Two four-year-old girls attending a well-known co-ed school in Badlapur were allegedly sexually assaulted by a 23-year-old male cleaning staff member inside a girls' toilet, according to Hindustan Times (HT). The incident occurred on 12-13 August, during morning classes.

The accused, Akshay Shinde, was hired on a contractual basis on 1 August. He exploited his role as the cleaner of the girls' toilets to commit the assaults. The school had not appointed any female staff for the girls' toilets.

Photo Credit: PTI

Parents Take Action

One of the girls had complained of pain in her private parts to her parents after returning home from school. Upon further questioning, she revealed that Shinde had touched her private parts when she went to use the toilet.

Concerned, the parents contacted another girl's parents from the same class. They learned that their daughter was also scared to go to school recently. Both girls were examined by a local doctor who confirmed they had been sexually assaulted.

Police Investigation

The outraged parents then approached social activists and rushed to Badlapur East Police Station to lodge a complaint. However, senior police inspector Shubhada Shitole allegedly delayed the procedure despite it being a POCSO case. The case was eventually registered late on Friday night, leading to Shinde's arrest.

Shitole was unavailable for comment, so HT reached out to her senior, assistant police commissioner S H Varhade. Varhade stated, "We have registered a case in the matter under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act. After first investigating the matter, we arrested the accused."

School Management Lapses

The police investigation revealed several lapses and negligence by the school management. Besides not having any female attendants in the girls' toilets, many CCTV cameras at the school were found to be non-functional, according to some parents.

This incident has raised serious concerns about student safety and school management practices in Badlapur. Parents are demanding stricter measures and better oversight to prevent such incidents in the future.