New Delhi: Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar on Monday said that CCTV footage of the past 15 days is missing from the Badlapur school where two nursery girls were sexually assaulted on August 13.
The minister added that a probe is ongoing to ascertain how the footage went missing and if any school officials had a hand in it, according to an India Today report.
In the case, the sweeper of the school had allegedly sexually abused two four-year-old girls inside the school toilet. The primary accused Akshay Shinde (23) was arrested on August 17 and sent to 14 days of judicial custody by Kalyan court on Monday.
The school administration and police have come under scanner for their handling of the case. And as the CCTV footage has vanished, it has raised more hackles about the school’s response to the incident. Kesarkar said that the state government is planning to install panic buttons in schools across the state. “Just like CCTVs in schools, panic buttons can also be installed…A panic button can also be installed in the hostels…It is an advanced technology,” he said at a press conference.
Financial aid to survivors
The state government also assured financial aid to the survivors. “In case of rape, the girl will be given Rs 10 lakh and the person who was sexually assaulted will be given Rs 3 lakh,” Kesarkar said. “We will bear the expenses of education of both of them. We will help both the girls.” A preliminary report by a state-appointed committee has brought fore the fact that both girls had ruptured hymens and suffered sexual abuse.
Opposition turns on heat
After it was reported that CCTV footage of the past 15 days was missing from the Badlapur school, the opposition hit out at the government. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote on X, “As expected CCTV images from the day of the Badlapur incident is missing. How can the school be allowed to get away with the criminalities. This is a ‘Mahajhooti’ sarkar,” Chaturvedi said.