Badlapur sexual assault: Uneasy calm descends on the city as netas drop by

Normalcy returned to Badlapur where massive protests were witnessed in the wake of the sexual assault of two minor girls While citizens went about their daily routines a heavy police presence was maintained across the city including at the railway station as a precautionary measure The authorities have registered four cases against protesters who had damaged government property and disrupted railway servicesLeaders from Opposition parties and social workers including child welfare committee officials visited the Badlapur East police station to pressure the police into acting against the accused Akshay Shinde who was produced before the POCSO court in Kalyan on Wednesday morning He has been remanded in police custody till August 26 Ashwini Bhamre Patil the public prosecutor told the court the accused was sent to police custody as the offence was serious The police were yet to find out whether the accused had a criminal background she addedWomen protest outside Badlapur police station PicsSayyed Sameer AbediMeanwhile certain lawyers from Kalyan and Ulhasnagar requested their peers not to represent Shinde ldquoWe have written an appeal on the blackboard in court and also circulated messages among the lawyers that no one should represent the accusedrdquo said Advocate Prakash Jagtap president of the Bar Association Kalyan courtLawyers from Kalyan Ulhasnagar and Badlapur have decided to fight for protesters arrested pro bono ldquoThey are booked under sections that are serious Hence getting bail is difficult However we will fight for them They are common citizens who have no political connectionrdquo said Adv Mangesh Gawli president of the Advocate AssociationThe Government Railway Police have registered a case against about 400 people for protesting at Badlapur railway station ldquoWe have acted against 32 people where 22 were arrested produced in court and remanded in magistrate custody While eight women and two juveniles were served notices and sent on their wayrdquo said a police officer The city and railway police are now scrutinising CCTV footage and viral videos to bring more protesters to bookMinister SpeakShambhuraj Desai guardian minister of Thane district meanwhile held a press conference stating that Shinde was arrested and his police custody had been extended He said that the accused was not a staffer appointed by the school ldquoCCTV footage was not available which is a lapse on the schoolrsquos part The case will be fasttracked IPS officer Arti Singh has been appointed as head of the SIT Orders have been given for a thorough investigation and we will see that the accused gets the death penaltyrdquo said DesaiHe added that the railway blockage had disrupted the lives of college students and senior citizens ldquoHowever we assume that the protesters were not locals as they were carrying banners slamming the Ladki Bahin scheme A proper investigation will be conducted with regard to the protestrsquos participantsrdquo Desai saidSchoolrsquos statementTushar Apte secretary of the school trust told the media ldquoWe came to know about the incident on August 16 On August 14 we were told by the principal that a minor girl was not feeling well so they were sending them home However on August 16 when the parents of the girl approached the school we learnt the facts The accused was working as a sweeper on a contractual basis Two women used to take care of the kids but they were found to be negligent and we have suspended them The principal and teacher were suspended as they were also negligentrdquo he saidSena UBT allegationsSushma Andhare a Shiv Sena UBT leader said ldquoYou say we are politically motivated A female journalist asking questions was asked by Shiv Sena leader Waman Mhatre lsquoWhy are you speaking as if you have been rapedrsquo Where does this arrogance come from You have exacerbated the situation If you want to maintain law and order why hasnrsquot Mhatre been arrested yetrdquoShe also pointed out that the victimrsquos mother was kept waiting for over 10 hours even though she was pregnant Despite having the medical report no case was filed Due to various reasons the Opposition has raised issues about the case Sushma Andhare a leader and spokesperson of the Thackeray group held a protest in Badlapur today but was obstructed