The police said around 2,000 men and women descended on the tracks and they had to resort to a lathi-charge a couple of times in the face of stone-pelting that injured two policemen.Seven people were detained by railway and local police.
Central Railway train services from Badlapur to Karjat remained completely shut. There were 42 partial cancellations on suburban routes and 24 long-distance trains were diverted to bypass Badlapur. Services from Mumbai to Ambarnath were operational.
As the mob violence refused to abate, chief minister Eknath Shinde announced a fast-track trial. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced an SIT headed by a woman officer and the appointment of Ujjwal Nikam as special public prosecutor in the case. He also ordered the suspension of three police officials for the alleged FIR delay.
The parents of the girls had approached the Badlapur police station to lodge a case around noon on August 16 but were made to wait for 12 hours, and the FIR was finally registered post-midnight. The accused was later arrested.
When news spread about the incident and the accusations of police apathy grew, locals on social media started condemning the incident and began demanding action against the school management and the police officer who delayed filing the FIR. On Monday, citizens announced the Badlapur bandh on Tuesday.
The school administration also announced action against the principal, class teacher and woman attendant for failure to perform their duty. The accused sweeper’s contract was terminated.
On Tuesday morning, many protesters first gathered outside the school. Many of the protesters were parents of students. The city was shut down, and even autorickshaws were not plying. Many people on the border of Ambarnath-Badlapur were seen stopping autos from entering the city and asking passengers to walk the rest of the way.
The matter escalated when the public gathered at Badlapur railway station at 9.30am and by 10am blocked the railway track, demanding that the accused be given the death penalty in front of them.
Many senior police officers reached the spot and promised strict action against the culprit, but the mob was in no mood to leave the railway tracks.
Thane police commissioner Ashutosh Dumbare and Thane collector Ashok Shingare also arrived at the spot, but the mob did not relent.
Additional commissioner of police (east) Sanjay Jadhav assured the mob of the death penalty for the culprit.
Finally, around 5.45pm, the police conducted their second lathi-charge. The police also answered stones with stones to clear the tracks.