Thane (Maharashtra), Aug 21: A local court Wednesday extended till August 24 the police custody of the accused in the alleged sexual assault on two nursery girls in a Badlapur school, here.

Akshay Shinde, 23, a contract sweeper working at the school, was nabbed August 17 and sent to three-day police custody which ended Wednesday.

He has been charged under various laws including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for the heinous crimes committed August 12-13 on the two girls, aged 4 and 6, in the school toilet, sparking a state-wide furore.

While the school authorities tendered an apology, the parents and citizens were not satisfied and resorted to a massive agitation in Badlapur town leading to skirmishes with the police and "capturing" the local railway station for 10 hours on Tuesday, hitting suburban and long-distance services badly.

Meanwhile, Badlapur town witnessed an uneasy calm the day after with tight police security deployed around the railway station, a school and other important buildings.

The Badlapur city and railway police have also initiated proceedings to book hundreds of protesters for Tuesday's violence and its fallout. However, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi parties slammed the police caning of the citizens taking part in the protests.

Government Railway Police (GRP) Deputy Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil said that around 40 people have been booked/detained for Tuesday's incidents, while offences are being lodged against more than 300 unidentified protesters.

Similar action is being initiated by the Badlapur police for the damage to vehicles, and the vandalism inside and outside the school premises, which was targeted by the mob.

All schools are shut today with massive police 'bandobast' in different parts of the town, most shops and commercial establishments have also downed shutters but trickles of wary commuters were seen at the railway station.

The alleged violation of the two nursery girls sparked off massive political and public reactions and the protests compelled the government to agree to all the major demands of the protesters.

They included: appointing a SIT to probe the heinous crimes by the accused Shinde, appointing ace criminal lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as the Special Public Prosecutor, suspension of three concerned police officials including a woman who delayed lodging the victims’ parents for more than 12 hours, and conducting a speedy trial in a fast track court.

(IANS)

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