Fact-finding committee points out lapses of school in Badlapur sexual assault

MUMBAI: The two-member fact-finding committee appointed by the education department after the Badlapur sexual assault has found various levels of lapses, including non-availability of CCTV footage for the last 15 days. The committee has held everyone, from the female attendants to the principal and the school management, responsible for negligence and has recommended filing a police complaint.

On Monday, school education minister Deepak Kesarkar released the Action Taken Report after a discussion on the fact-finding report during a media interaction. “To prevent such incidents from recurring, we have suspended all those found guilty,” he said. “We have directed that attendants Kamini Gaikar and Nirmala Ghure also be included as co-accused.”

The school principal Archana Athavale is among those suspended, with Kesarkar noting that she had withheld information during the investigation. The school education department has initiated termination action against her and sent her a show cause notice. Also accused are Uday Kotwal, the president of the trust that runs the school and its secretary Tushar Apte. The minister said that appropriate action against all the accused would be taken after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the home ministry completed its inquiry.

Kesarkar outlined the safety measures being implemented such as CCTV cameras and a plan to install panic buttons in every school. Additionally, the school department will establish a help centre at the education commissionerate in Pune, with contact numbers to be distributed to schools across the state. “Also, the process of imparting self-defence training in schools is 50% complete, and we will soon issue a comprehensive government order,” he said.

On the alleged negligence at the central hospital in Ulhasnagar, the school education department has instructed the state public health department to investigate the reasons for the delay in conducting a medical examination.

The government has announced compensation of ₹10 lakh to the family of one girl and ₹3 lakh to the family of the other one. The education department has also committed to funding both girls’ education up to graduation level.

Two schoolgirls were sexually assaulted allegedly by an attendant, leading to a massive protest in Badlapur in Thane district on August 20, affecting suburban services for more than 10 hours. Since then, allegations have surfaced against the police for the casual manner in which the case was treated, including making the parents of the victim wait for hours before registering a case.

Asim Sarode, lawyer representing the victims said, “Since August 5, the accused has committed continuous offences, which were not documented in the child’s statement. The case involves aggravated sexual assault. Additionally, the resident medical officer of Central Hospital was absent during the medical examination, warranting a show-cause notice to be issued to them too.”

Important findings of the report

There were no doors in the girls’ toilets

School management and principal did not initiate any action to file a police complaint along with the parents

The class teacher did not notice behavioural changes in the student after the incident, which showed her negligence.

The class teacher sent the girl student to the washroom alone and did not bother to check on her even after she did not return for a long time

After the parents complained, the principal and management failed to take prompt action and inform the police about the incident

The housekeeping staff was appointed from a third-party contractor, but the management failed to provide details of the agreement and other information before the fact-finding committee