Badlapur Sexual Assault Case: Maharashtra Opposition Calls For State Wide Bandh On Aug. 24

Maha Vikas Aghadi on Wednesday called for a day-long Maharashtra Bandh on Aug. 24 in protests against the Badlapur sexual assault case.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut called for the bandh in a post on X, formerly Twitter. All three parties of Mahavikas Aghadi will be participating.

This comes a day after Maharashtra's Thane district saw protests over the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls by the staff of a local school. Protestors disrupted the local railway services on Tuesday.

The call for bandh comes after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde claimed that the protest in Thane was politically motivated and aimed at maligning the state government. He also said that the majority of protesters were outsiders.

On the other hand, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded that the Badlapur case be fast-tracked and speedy justice be given to the victims. Thackeray also added that, on the one hand, the government is running the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin scheme, but the daughters of sisters are still not safe.

The leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT) also claimed that the school where the girls were allegedly sexually abused was linked to BJP leaders.

On Tuesday, angry parents, local residents and others blocked railway tracks that led to the suspension of rail services between Badlapur and Ambernath for over 10 hours. The protestors also ransacked the school where the alleged incident took place.

Police broke up the protests after nine hours by lathicharging protesters at the Badlapur railway station. At least 25 police personnel, including the railway cops, were injured in incidents of stone-pelting at the Badlapur railway station and elsewhere in the town during the protest. Police have arrested at least 72 people and filed four FIRs in connection with the violence.

On Aug. 17, the police arrested the attendant at the school after the complaint.

In the meantime, internet services in Badlapur were suspended on Wednesday and most schools will also remain closed.

(with inputs from PTI).