Another Badlapur? Two six-year-old girls are sexually abused by a school bus driver in Pune – The Week

Weeks after the horrific incident in Badlapur in Maharashtra, a similar case was reported from Pune, where a school bus driver was arrested on Thursday for allegedly sexually harassing two students – both six years old.

The accused has been identified as Sanjay Reddy (45), a resident of Hadapsar on the outskirts of the city

According to reports, the incident occurred on September 30 in the van when the students were returning home from school in Wanwadi.

“The accused allegedly touched the private parts of both the victims when they were returning home from school,” a police officer told news agency PTI.

Other reports claimed that Reddy forced the two girls to sit next to him and that he indulged in his lewd acts of “sexually touching” them during the ride.

The incident came to light after one of the girls narrated the incident to her mother, who then informed the school authorities.

The accused was booked under Sections 64 (punishment for rape) and 65 (2) (punishment for rape of a woman below 12 years of age) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) sections.

Protests erupted in the area during which locals and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists smashed the van’s windshields and damaged its body.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis claimed that the accused received help from local politicians to escape but was caught by the police.

Maharashtra State Commission for Women Chairperson Rupali Chakankar demanded strong action in the case. “The girls were sent for medical examination and also to the child protection committee. The accused was caught. “The MSCW has directed the Pune police to investigate the matter thoroughly and take action against the accused,” she said.

In a similar incident in August, a street sweeper was arrested at a school in Badlapur in Thane district for allegedly sexually harassing two four-year-old girls. The incident sparked massive outrage in the state.

The accused, Akshay Shinde, was arrested but later killed in an alleged shootout with police on September 23.