Massive protests against sexual assault of four-year-old girls

Mumbai: Two nursery students, both aged four, were sexually assaulted by a cleaning staff at a reputed school in Thane district triggering a massive protest on Tuesday.

Hundreds of angry protestors, many of them parents, stormed the school building and demanded harsh punishment for the accused.

Protesters also brought local train services to a halt for several hours at Badlapur railway station. The police lathi-charged the protesters to clear them off the railway tracks. The protesters also blocked major roads and highways and pelted stones at the police.

The incident, according to reports, occurred last week. The parents came to know about the abuse on August 18 following which they lodged a police complaint.

The 24-year-old accused was arrested on Saturday.

The school administration on Monday suspended the principal, class teacher and female attendant, holding them responsible for the incident.