The school teacher who allegedly attacked the girls must be brought to justice. Action must also be taken against the police officers and school management responsible, while systemic failures must not be allowed to continue.

Initially, the Badlapur police not only refused to register the case but also treated the parents of the victims as criminals and kept the mother of one of the girls in the police station for almost 10 hours. While taking action against errant police officers, the authorities should also take steps to change this culture in police departments across the country.

Ordinary citizens are often discouraged from reporting crimes to the police, despite a Supreme Court directive that a police officer cannot refuse to register an FIR when the crime requires investigation. The directive says that in case the investigating officer concludes that the crime was not committed within his jurisdiction, the FIR should be forwarded to the appropriate police station, but there should be no refusal to register the FIR.

Similarly, even after the parents approached them, the school management did not inform the police about the incident as mandated by the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. This tendency to cover up cases of sexual crimes against women and children is seen in institutions across the country. Their bigger concern is their reputation, not the welfare of the victims.

Now that the Bombay High Court has taken cognizance of the matter on its own initiative, hopefully the state will not get away with simply forming a Special Investigation Team and hearing the case in a fast-track court. The state must be held accountable for the larger issue of safety of women and children.