Badlapur sexual abuse: MVA calls for Maharashtra bandh on August 24

Mumbai, Aug 21 (IANS) Mounting pressure on the MahaYuti government, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday gave a call for Maharashtra ‘Bandh’ (shutdown) on August 24 to protest against the alleged rape of two kindergarten girls at a school in Badlapur in Thane.Congress’ Leader of Opposition (Assembly) Vijay Wadettiwar, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut and Nationalist Congress Party (UBT) leaders issued the joint call for a state-wide shutdown.They also appealed to the masses to participate in the bandh to highlight what they termed as the “total collapse” of the law-and-order situation in the state against the backdrop of a series of incidents of atrocities against women and even nursery-level girl students.SS (UBT)’s Deputy Leader Sushma Andhare has demanded the MahaYuti regime should bring out a ‘White Paper’ detailing the law-and-order status in the state, while National Spokesperson Kishore Tiwari demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.Simultaneously, the MVA carried out vociferous protests in different parts of the state, including Mumbai, Thane, Pune, and other places, on Wednesday condemning the CM’s statement that the public uprising in Badlapur town on Tuesday was “politically motivated”.In Mumbai, Congress leaders like city chief Varsha Gaikwad, Wadettiwar and others attempted to storm into the state government headquarters ‘Mantralaya’, but after police intervention, they carried out the protest near the Gandhiji statue nearby.Badlapur witnessed a massive public protest which paralysed the town and local railway station on Tuesday and ignited a huge political brawl between the MahaYuti and MVA leaders.The CM, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, besides other senior MahaYuti leaders, have assured stringent punishment to the accused in the Badlapur horror case – Akshay Shinde, 23, a peon working on contract at the Adarsh Vidya Prasarak Sanstha’s nursery school – which occurred on August 12-13.–IANSqn/svn