Woman IPS officer to probe Badlapur sexual-assault case: Devendra Fadnavis

New Delhi: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said an inquiry led by a woman IPS officer has been ordered into an incident of alleged abuse of two school girls in Badlapur in Thane district.

Talking to reporters here, Fadnavis said the state government has appointed Arti Singh, an inspector general-rank Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, to conduct the inquiry.

"It will be our endeavour to inquire into the incident at the earliest. We want to file the chargesheet in this case as soon as possible and place the matter before a fast-track court for hearing," he said.

"Our police department will make complete efforts to get such a barbaric and inhuman act punished immediately," the deputy chief minister added.

He slammed the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) working president, Supriya Sule, and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for allegedly politicising the issue.

"It is unfortunate that the opposition seeks to gain political benefit out of such incidents. The opposition is devoid of any empathy. The politics of the opposition is coming to the fore," the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.

He said Thackeray should behave like a statesman and not stoop too low and indulge in politics on a sensitive issue of sexual abuse.