Maharashtra schools to set up Vishakha committees in the wake of Badlapur incident (representative image)
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Shortly after the outrage over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls at a school in BadlapurThe Maharashtra government has decided to form committees as per the Supreme Court guidelines. Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar announced on August 20 that “Vishakha committees” will be formed in schools. Explaining the move, he said schools will face action if CCTV cameras installed on their premises are found not working.
The Supreme Court’s guidelines in the landmark ‘Vishakha’ judgment mandate the formation of internal committees. The aim is to deal with complaints of sexual harassment at the workplace. The Education Minister said that Vishakha committees will be formed at the school level and will provide a platform for raising complaints to female students, especially those in the 9th and 10th grades and in high school.
It is to be noted that it is mandatory for schools to have CCTV cameras. However, at the Badlapur school where two girls were allegedly abused, the CCTV cameras were not working. The Minister said that a circular will be issued soon stating that the schools will be held responsible for this failure.
Speaking about the measures taken following the incident, he said that a notice had already been sent to the Badlapur school and its principal, some teachers and two assistants had been suspended. The Minister also highlighted that the decision to install complaint boxes in schools had been taken in the past but the principals should check these boxes regularly. When asked about the measures taken in line with the badlapur caseHe shared that a review meeting was held with education officials earlier this year to check whether ‘Sakhi Savitri Committees’ were formed in schools, and if the Badlapur institution had not formed such a committee, action will be taken.
Maharashtra government sets up SIT to investigate sexual abuse
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday ordered the creation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged sexual abuse of two schoolgirls in Badlapur in Thane district that triggered a massive protest leading to the suspension of local train services. The SIT will be headed by Inspector General of Police Aarti Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who heads the Home Department.
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