A 27-year-old bus attendant of an upscale private school in Kapurbawdi, Thane has been arrested for allegedly molesting children on a school picnic.

Javed Mohammed Khan who had accompanied students on a school excursion of the IGCSE school on February 20 touched both girls and boys inappropriately while serving lunch to them, according to parents. The victims were as young as ages 7 and 8.

“The accused inappropriately touched several children including two boys in the pretext of distributing food packets to them. The incident took place when students were on their way to a theme park in Ghatkopar,” according to the police.

Parents of these children claimed that despite several attempts to seek clarification from the school, there was no response. Later, parents staged a protest in front of the schools seeking immediate action against the accused.

“We visited the school several times and did not get a convincing reply. It was an issue about child safety that was taken lightly. As parents, we are shocked at how the school reacted,” said Namratha (name changed) one of the parents.

Recounting the incident, another parent said, “When students were taken on a trip on February 20, students of class 2 were molested. There were three teachers on the bus and two outsiders. Parents were not informed about these outsiders who would be accompanying these students. We do not know what due diligence was carried before taking them either.

“One of the men molested 8-10 students. We are not talking about basic touch. This is proper molestation. Teachers on the bus claimed that no such thing happened and that they were vigilant. 8 children cannot lie. The teachers are denying these allegations, and the management is blaming a third party for the negligence. The principal and management dismissed this saying it could have happened anywhere with anyone. We have demanded the resignation of the teachers involved and the principal. We have also filed an FIR against the management as well.

#WATCH | Thane, Maharashtra: On the school trip incident, a parent says, “On February 20, when kids from grade 2 were on a picnic, two outsiders also accompanied them which wasn’t informed to any parents. We don’t know the due diligence or the process through which they’re… pic.twitter.com/tJ9vRXKs7p

— ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2024

Video Source: ANI