Protest over girls' sexual abuse turns violent in Badlapur; school vandalised, stones hurled during 'rail roko'

Mumbai: The protest against the alleged sexual abuse of two girls at a school in Badlapur town of Maharashtra's Thane district turned violent on Tuesday as the angry agitators vandalised the school and also indulged in stone-pelting at the local railway station during the 'rail blockade', police said.

Two girl students of a kindergarten at the school in Badlapur were allegedly sexually abused by a male attendant recently. The accused was arrested last week, they said.

Angry parents of the school children and local citizens, including many women, gathered outside the school on Tuesday morning and also held a 'rail roko' protest at the Badlapur railway station, blocking the path of suburban trains from around 8.30 am. They demanded action against the school and strict punishment against the accused involved in the incident.

Some of the protesters, including women, later broke the gate of the school and vandalised it by breaking the window panes, benches and doors, police said.

At the railway station, as the protest hampered the movement of trains and caused inconvenience to scores of commuters, police personnel and other authorities tried to convince the protesters to end the agitation, but in vain.

Some of the agitators hurled stones during the protest, but the situation was soon brought under control, the police said.

Commissioner of Government Railway Police (GRP) Ravindra Shisve is at the railway station to bring the situation under control and attempts were on to disperse the crowd, they said.