New Delhi, Aug 26 The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government over the latest disclosures regarding the CCTV footage in Badlapur school, where the two Class IV girls were sexually assaulted.
The SS Rajya Sabha MP, speaking to IANS, claimed that a big cover-up was done by the school administration and the Mahayuti government was complicit in the crime as it was shielding the perpetrators, rather than bringing them to book.
She claimed that it was a conspiracy by the Shinde government to deny justice to victims, as after so many days, the families of KG girls are running from pillar to post for justice.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, shocked over the government's own admission that the CCTV footage of the school has been missing, said that this only adds to the theory that the school administration was getting ‘protection’ from the administration.
Notably, Maharashtra's Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar told the press on Monday that CCTV footage of the last 15 days of the school is missing and also informed that there was no CCTV outside the school toilet.
Kesarkar’s disclosure assumes importance because the incident reportedly took place on August 12 and 13 and the offence was registered on August 16 only after public outcry. At that time, reports said that all CCTV cameras were not functional in the school but now, the video recordings of 15 days have gone missing.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, taking strong objection to ‘lame excuse’ by state administration said that those who facilitated/permitted such criminality can’t be allowed to get away and demanded stringent punishment for the perpetrators.
She claimed that the Education Minister’s statement lends credence to the theory that the school administration was allowed to destroy CCTV evidence, a claim parents of the victims have also been making.
She claimed that the school authorities are directly involved in destroying the CCTV footage, in connivance with top officials.
While claiming that it was a blatant ploy to save the culprits, she raised some pertinent questions, “Why the FIR was lodged, four days after the sexual abuse incident? Why was the school allowed to play with the evidence?”
She further lambasted the Shinde government over claims of setting up fast-track courts and delivering fast justice. She said that POCSO cases have been registered in Thane regularly, for almost a fortnight but the government, as usual, has been caught napping.
“Government makes big promises about the safety of girls and women but fails to accomplish anything, this shows their abject failure,” she said.
--IANS
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