Badlapur sexual abuse case: Pawar, Thackeray participate in 'silent protest'
Leaders and members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), a coalition comprising the Nationalist Congress Party ( Sharad Pawar faction), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray Faction), and Congress, staged protests across Maharashtra on Saturday. NCP (SCP) supremo Sharad Pawar led the protest in Pune, while in Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray led a parallel protest. The demonstrations were in response to the recent sexual assault of two minor girls in Badlapur.
Thackeray criticizes government's handling of Badlapur case
The protesters wore black bands on their foreheads and arms as a symbol of their dissent. On Saturday, the Bombay High Court had issued an order, preventing the MVA from proceeding with a planned state-wide bandh. However, Thackeray said that opposition leaders will protest with "black bands around their mouths." Thackeray stated. At the rally, he criticized the Eknath Shinde-led state government for its alleged support of the accused in the Badlapur case.
Protest being held amid rain
Chaturvedi highlights rising atrocities against women
Thackeray questioned why their call for a bandh had been opposed, and accused Maharashtra's leadership of being insensitive to rising crimes against women. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also expressed concern over the increasing number of crimes against women and girls in Maharashtra. She revealed that there had been 12 such incidents within just 10 days.
BJP demands swift justice for Badlapur case victims
To counter the MVA's protests, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged their own demonstrations across Maharashtra. In Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, BJP workers demanded a speedy trial and strictest punishment for those accused in the Badlapur case. They called for the case to be tried in a fast-track court and severe punishment for the accused. "We would not tolerate atrocities against women," BJP leader and state housing minister Atul Save said.
Details on the case
The Bombay HC prevented the MVA from proceeding with its bandh after a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed challenging the legality and constitutionality of it. Petitioners argued that it could paralyze the entire state machinery and cause significant inconvenience to the public. The Badlapur sexual assault case involves two kindergarten girls who were allegedly abused by a housekeeping staff member last week at their school. On August 17, police arrested an attendant for allegedly molesting the girls.
