Schools Closed and Internet Cut Near Mumbai Amid Protests Over Sexual Assault on Two Schoolgirls

 Media reports indicated that internet services were cut and schools remained closed for the second consecutive day in a town near the Indian city of Mumbai today (Wednesday), as protests escalated over an alleged sexual assault on two four-year-old girls, according to Reuters.

 The protests in Badlapur, about 50 kilometers from Mumbai, India’s financial capital, come amid nationwide demonstrations over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor in the eastern city of Kolkata.

 Media reports stated that authorities had arrested a janitor on charges of sexually assaulting the two schoolgirls inside a school in Badlapur earlier this week.

 Local police officials did not respond to calls and messages from the agency yesterday.

 Angry protesters blocked railway tracks for hours yesterday, demanding justice for the two girls, in a repeat of protests organized by doctors and women’s groups across the country.

 The news channel “ABP” reported that authorities ordered schools to remain closed and halted internet services for the second consecutive day to suppress any gatherings or protests.

 Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that the case would be handled through a fast-track trial. Shinde said today that the protests had political motivations.

 Maharashtra, India’s richest state, is set to hold elections later this year, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, faces a fierce battle against an opposition coalition.

 Member of Parliament Varsha Gaikwad stated during a protest in Mumbai today that opposition parties in Maharashtra called for a statewide strike on August 24.