A security guard sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl inside a bathroom in south Mumbai’s Bhidoni area, sparking protest from local residents, police said.
While the girl was receiving treatment at the hospital, the accused was arrested soon after lodging a complaint on Sunday, an official said.
Protesters gather outside the police station
The incident sparked widespread anger, with hundreds of people gathering outside Bidoni police station on Sunday, demanding exemplary punishment for the accused.
Some protesters also surrounded Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar when he visited the police station after learning about the incident and raised slogans demanding strict action against the accused, according to eyewitnesses.
The official said demonstrators briefly blocked the road outside the police station, disrupting traffic before police dispersed the crowd and restored normalcy.
He added that police forces were deployed heavily in the area to prevent any unexpected clashes or incidents.
Rohit Pawar calls the incident “outrageous”
In a post on website
Pawar claimed that the “lack of speedy justice” in all these cases has weakened the law’s deterrence, and called for a speedy end to such trials as well as immediate implementation of the Shakti Act, which has stringent provisions for such crimes.
The opposition MLA said he raised the demand during the recently concluded Legislative Council session and urged the government to take action, while praying for the girl’s speedy recovery.
In the Nasrpur case, a 65-year-old man was convicted and sentenced to death three times within 60 days of the crime, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said last month.
