RWPI strongly condemns the horrific sexual assault of two four-year-old girls at their school in Badlapur as well as the brutality of the Badlapur police in handling the case and the protests that followed!
Crimes against children will not be tolerated!
In a shockingly despicable incident, two young school girls were sexually assaulted when they tried to use the toilet at their school in Badlapur on August 13th. Reportedly, one of the children confided in her parents about the abuse, which prompted them to reach out to the other girl’s parents. A private doctor who then examined them confirmed that both the children had been sexually assaulted. The prime accused in the case is a 24-year-old male sweeper who has since been arrested. It has been reported that he is a serial offender and has been accused of multiple crimes in the past. The girls’ parents have raised concerns over the non-appointment of a female staff member in the girls’ toilet. The incident clearly highlights the school’s negligence in preventing and reporting the heinous act as well as the perverse mentality that prevails in the society and leads to such shameful crimes against children.
As per reports, the station in-charge at the Badlapur police station, Subhada Shitole, instead of immediately registering an FIR, made the parents wait for hours and asked them to verify their claims. It was only after the intervention of the District Women and Child Welfare Department that the police registered a case under the POCSO Act. Multiple reports also cite the active role of the school management in suppressing the incident.
On tuesday, August 20th, local train services were brought to a halt by hundreds of protestors who gathered at the Badlapur railway station to express their outrage and demand a strict action against the incident. The Badlapur police shamefully lathi-charged and fired tear gas on the citizens. Since then, FIRs have been filed against at least 300 protesters, of whom 72 have been arrested.
This entire incident is yet another example of the perverse rape culture that exists in the society as well as the active role of the state machinery in enabling it. Since 2017, a 94.47% surge in sexual offences against children has been recorded. In 2022, as many as 63,414 incidents were registered under the POCSO Act.
The profit-centric capitalist system makes any and all fundamental human and moral values go for a toss. Vulgarism, commerical sexual exploitation, and child pornography are today used as money-making tools. Films, advertisements, and products promoting degeneracy are sold to millions, thus perpetuating moral depravation within society. Under capitalism, no human virtue is greater than the capitalist’s profits and nothing seems smaller than what they try to make out of man’s conscience.
The role of bourgeois parties in enabling this culture and protecting sexual offenders cannot be overstated. A woman journalist working for the Marathi daily that reported the above incident, has accused CM Eknath Shinde’s aide and former Badlapur mayor, Waman Mhatre, of making an offensive remark against her and saying she was acting “as if she herself had been raped.” Such a humiliating retort by a member of the ruling alliance evidently shows the inherent patriarchal mindset that they operate with. The underlying deception in schemes such as the ‘Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana’ is further exposed through comments such as these and makes it evident that they are nothing more than election tactics.
RWPI strongly condemns this shameful crime and fully supports the protesters in demanding the strictest punishment for the culprit!
Our demands are:
1. The culprit must be given the strictest punishment without any delay.
2. A fast-track court must be established to expedite justice.
3. Strict measures must be taken to ensure the safety of students in all educational institutions.
4. The Home Minister of Maharashtra must accept moral responsibility for this incident and resign immediately.
5. Strict action must be taken against all police personnel responsible for the delay in registering the incident.
6. All cases against the protesting citizens must be withdrawn.
