Outsiders staged protests in Badlapur: Maha minister Shambhuraj Desai

Thane: Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai on Wednesday claimed that the protesters who blocked the railway traffic at Badlapur in the district following the incident of sexual abuse of two girls at a local school were outsiders.

Probe was on to find out who was behind the violent protests, he said.

Desai, who is also the guardian minister of the district, was speaking to reporters after visiting Badlapur, over 50 km from Mumbai.

The "rioters and protesters" were outsiders and not locals, he claimed.

As to the accused man arrested for the alleged sexual abuse at the school, the minister said the school management failed to ensure police verification of the staff hired from outside agencies.

The accused, notably, was working as a school attendant.

Meanwhile, the school where the incident took place remained closed on Wednesday, said Ambernath tehsildar Amit Puri.

It is for the school management to decide when to resume classes, he added.

The school had been ransacked by a violent mob on Tuesday.