On August 20, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took notice of the case, issuing directives to the Maharashtra chief secretary and the director general of police to submit a detailed report. This report is expected to include an explanation for the delay in registering the FIR, the current status of the investigation, and the health condition of the victims.
The police’s tardy reaction has sparked widespread criticism, with locals flocking to social media to voice their displeasure and demand responsibility from both the school administration and law officials. Women’s organisations announced a Badlapur bandh on Tuesday, resulting in a total shutdown of the city. Even auto-rickshaws ceased operations, with protesters blocking entry into the city at the Ambarnath-Badlapur border.
The situation worsened when more than 2,000 locals stopped railway tracks for over nine hours, stopping train operations between Ambernath and Karjat. This was one of the longest rail interruptions in the city’s recent history. In a simultaneous event, a mob of enraged parents and residents rushed the school, demanding a meeting with the administration. When their demands were not granted, they forcibly entered the school, inflicting substantial damage.
In reaction to the public outrage, the school administration disciplined the principal, the class instructor, and the female attendant, and terminated the cleaner’s work contract. However, Susieben Shah, chairman of the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR), pointed out obvious flaws in the school’s operations. These included the lack of CCTV cameras, the inability to do background checks on the accused, and the absence of a Sakhi Savitri committee, which is responsible for addressing child safety problems.
Shah has been entrusted with conducting a preliminary investigation of the occurrence and making suggestions to help prevent such disasters in the future. The public’s demand for justice is still strong, with many advocating for the most severe sanctions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to be enforced on those guilty of this systemic failure.
