Minister suspends education officers

BADLAPUR The special investigation team (SIT) probing the case of the sexual assault of minors in Badlapur has registered an FIR against the school authorities, for not complying with the provisions of section 19 of the POCSO Act, which mandates that any authority, on learning about any such incident of sexual assault against minors is obligated to report it to police for further action, said SIT.

- Shefali Parab-Pandit

State Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar has announced the suspension of two education of ficers, Balasaheb Rakshe from Thane district and Rajesh Kankal from Mumbai, on Friday. Rakshe was accused of failing to inform the minister about a recent sexual assault case in Badlapurwhile Kankal was held responsible for delay in installing CCTV cameras in the civic-run schools in Mumbai. Following the recent incident at a school in Badlapur, where a member of the cleaning staff allegedly sexually assaulted two four-year-old girls, residents of the suburb had staged a rail roko at Badlapur railway station on August 20.

The demonstration disrupted Central Railway services beyond Ambernath.