Badlapur: In the fourth case of sexual assault on minors in Badlapur since Sept 2024 and the second in just over a month, a 38-year-old school bus driver was arrested on Thursday for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old student.Thursday’s crime has reignited outrage among local residents who pointed to negligence by local schools in adhering to mandatory child safety norms, the absence of female attendants on school transport, and inadequate police verification of school staff.According to the FIR lodged at Badlapur police station, the accused, a Nerul resident who has driven a school bus for eight years, allegedly touched the child inappropriately and passed lewd comments after she boarded the bus after school hours at the gate. On reaching home she confided in her parents, who later filed the complaint. Police booked the accused under the Pocso Act and relevant BNS sections. He was produced in court and remanded in custody till March 2. Police are now probing if the accused had committed similar offences in the past.It may be recalled that on Jan 22, a four-year-old pre-primary student was allegedly molested by a school van driver in Badlapur, leading to his arrest.On June 1, 2025, a teacher was arrested for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old girl.In Sept 2024, in a case that sparked nationwide protests, two pre-primary schoolchildren were sexually abused by the accused Akshay Shinde, who was later killed in an alleged police encounter. This had prompted the state education department to mandate female attendants on school buses, alongside rigorous police verification for drivers and staff.No female attendant, though, was present on the bus during Friday’s assault, flouting rules enforced post-2024.A senior police officer said, “We have repeatedly urged different Badlapur school administrations to comply with the norms, especially regarding female attendants and police verification for all staff. But they ignore it.’The RTO said, “We have acted against non-compliant buses daily. In the past month alone, following the last incident, we impounded 23 school buses lacking male or female attendants. However, penalising errant schools falls under the purview of the education department.”The Maharashtra education department had issued strict advisories after 2024, empowering RTOs and police for inspections. Non-compliance invites fines up to Rs 1 lakh and suspension of license and vehicle seizure, but enforcement gaps persist.After news of the crime spread, parents took to social media to demand a special audit of all school transport and buses in Badlapur and strict action against school administrations not following govt norms.
