After searching CCTV footage for individuals who used violence to protest the sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls in Badlapur, the police said they would make more arrests.
Over 66 people were arrested on Tuesday night in connection with the protests that broke out in Badlapur, Maharashtra’s Thane district, over the alleged sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls by a janitor at a school. The police had also filed four First Information Reports (FIRs) against approximately 500 protestors.
The Thane police and the Government Railway Police (GRP) claim that after reviewing CCTV footage, they will make additional arrests.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sudhakar Pathare of Badlapur said that the suspects who were detained face charges related to rioting, causing damage to public property, and injuring public servants, among other offenses. Pathare urged the public not to believe rumors and to contact law enforcement if they come across any sensitive information.
In an effort to prevent rumors from spreading on social media, authorities in Badlapur have also suspended internet service since Tuesday night. They also mentioned that internet services would not be available on Wednesday.
Train services, which were interrupted for ten hours on Tuesday, are operating normally despite police security measures, according to Manoj Patil, DCP, GRP.
On Tuesday, thousands of people demonstrated against the sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls by a sweeper at their Badlapur school last week by congregating at the railway station in Badlapur and stopping local trains. The police have taken Akshay Shinde into custody as the accused.
In addition, the demonstrators staged demonstrations in Badlapur’s streets, blocking important thoroughfares and hurling objects at the police and the school where the sexual assault took place. They carried banners opposing the Ladki Bahin Yojana, which the Maharashtra government had just introduced, and they called for safer conditions for women.
Many of the demonstrators threw stones at the police in the evening, injuring over a dozen officers, including senior officers, before the police used lathicharge to break up the group.
