School Van Driver Arrested for Molesting 4-Yr-Old Girl
According to the police, the victim is a junior KG student of an English medium school located around three kilometres from her residence.
Mumbai: Maharashtra has been rocked by yet another incident of child molestation in Badlapur – a satellite town of Mumbai – after a four-year-old girl student was allegedly molested by the school van driver. The accused was arrested following a public outrage and a complaint filed by the girl’s family.
A 37-year-old school van driver has been arrested on charges of molesting a four-year-old girl and a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered against him. He was produced in court on Friday and sent to police custody till January 27.
According to the police, the victim is a junior KG student of an English medium school located around three kilometres from her residence. The incident took place on Thursday while the accused was dropping the child home after school. The girl was the last student in the van when the accused allegedly touched her inappropriately. The matter came to light after the parents noticed behavioural changes in the girl and questioned her, following which she revealed the alleged misconduct.
The parents approached the Badlapur police station and filed a complaint. Police registered a case and arrested the accused driver. Further investigation is underway.
Senior police inspector Kishore Shinde said, “We have detained the van driver and a case has been registered against him under charges of molestation and the POCSO Act.”
The incident sparked protests among citizens and tension erupted in Badlapur. A mob barged into the police station and vandalised the school vehicle. A few volunteers and political leaders too reached the police station to stage a protest.
Minister of State for Home Pankaj Bhoyar termed the incident ‘shameful’ and confirmed the arrest. He said the education department had already issued safety guidelines to schools and strict action would be taken against those found violating the rules.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal strongly criticised the government over the Badlapur incident, calling it a reflection of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
“The incident of sexual assault on a minor girl in Badlapur is infuriating and shameful. Criminals of all kinds have unleashed chaos in Maharashtra, while the government and the law appear helpless. The rulers no longer have the courage to take action against criminals. Devendra Fadnavis is the most passive, inefficient, and irresponsible chief minister Maharashtra has ever seen,” Sapkal said.
The incident comes in the wake of a similar high-profile case in Badlapur in August 2024, where a school sweeper sexually abused two four-year-old girls on the premises. That case led to massive protests, including a ‘Rail Roko’ agitation, and the accused was later killed in an alleged police encounter during transit from court to jail.
