Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 28 : Tension gripped the Ghatkopar area on Sunday as senior BJP leaders, led by Kirit Somaiya and former Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde, staged a massive protest at the local police station.
The demonstration follows the harrowing allegations of sexual assault against two minor girls, aged five and six, and a subsequent police response that has sparked allegations of victim-shaming and official misconduct.
The situation has escalated beyond the initial crime, with leaders accusing the Mumbai Police of high-handedness and "colluding" with the accused by detaining the victims' families.
According to BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, the police showed extreme reluctance to act against the accused despite a clear complaint. He alleged that the authorities only took action after the families insisted, but in a shocking turn of events, the police also arrested the families of the victims.
"Firoz Iqbal attempted to molest four girls... Despite the family's complaint, the police did not want to arrest him. When the family insisted, both the victim families were arrested along with Firoz in defiance," Somaiya stated. "We will sit here until these families get justice and the officers who helped Firoz are suspended."
Former Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawade, who joined the protest, challenged the police narrative that the families had attacked officers during the initial arrest of the suspect. Tawade claimed to have seen video evidence that contradicts the police's version of events.
She noted that any reaction from the family was a natural response to a "heinous act" committed in front of their home. She asserted that video footage shows no such attack on the police took place.
She condemned the police for "putting the family in jail" instead of providing them with support and consolation during their trauma.
"... In front of the house of two little girls, Firoz Iqbal Sheikh raped those two girls. The police arrived at the scene, and they arrested Firoz. While they were taking him away, it's natural that the family's blood would boil over the heinous act he committed, so there will be a reaction to the action. The police should be aware of all this. That's why the family reacted, and after that, the police said that the families attacked. Whereas I had seen the video, no attack took place... At a time when the family is going through this, instead of consoling them, the police are putting the family in jail," she said.
The BJP leadership has made its stance clear; the protest will continue indefinitely until specific conditions are met: the unconditional release of the victims' family members from police custody, strict action against the police personnel who allegedly shielded Firoz Iqbal Sheikh or mismanaged the case, and ensuring that anyone "colluding" with the accused is identified and arrested.
"The family is still inside. Today here, Kirit Somaiya is still sitting on a protest, and until the family members are released and action is taken against the police, he will stay here... There should be action against them...," said Tawade.
The incident, which reportedly involved the targeting of four girls, two of whom were toddlers, has sent shockwaves through the Ghatkopar West community.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered in the early hours of April 26, 2026, the assault reportedly took place on the night of April 25, around 8:30 PM.
The complaint, filed by a resident identified as Shabnam, led to the invocation of several stringent legal provisions: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023: Sections 64(2)(i), 65(2), and 351(2). POCSO Act: Sections 4, 8, and 12, reflecting the extreme gravity of the crimes against children.
The accused, identified by local leaders as Firoz Iqbal Sheikh, was reportedly apprehended shortly after the incident was reported to the authorities at 10:00 PM.
Authorities have initiated an investigation, and efforts are underway to trace the accused.
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