MSCPCR Chief Accuses Badlapur School of Prioritizing Cover-Up Over Assisting Parents

The chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR), Susieben Shah, has sharply criticized the handling of a sexual abuse case at a Badlapur school. Shah accused the school administration of attempting to cover up the crime rather than assisting the victims’ families in filing a police complaint.

The case involves two four-year-old girls who were allegedly sexually assaulted by Akshay Shinde, a 23-year-old male cleaner employed by the school. The assaults reportedly took place on separate days within 10 days of Shinde’s employment. Despite being informed of the first assault on August 12, the school management failed to report the incident to the police and instead dismissed the parents’ concerns.

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Parents of the victims were reportedly made to wait 11 hours at the Badlapur police station before their complaints were acknowledged. This delay, along with the school’s lack of action, led to massive protests by the parents and local residents, who blocked railway tracks, bringing the central railway suburban network to a standstill.

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Shah criticized the school principal for choosing not to contact the police and for allegedly trying to conceal the issue. She emphasized the need for stringent action under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has called for a “Maharashtra bandh” on August 24 in protest against the alleged sexual assault, with all MVA allies expected to participate.

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