Amid massive public outrage and protests over the alleged sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls in a school in Badlapur, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has claimed that the police were pressured not to register a case.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Raut pointed out that the protests led by parents and locals were against the “Mindhe” government.

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“The outcry of the people of Badlapur was against the ‘Mindhe’ government (referring to the Shinde-led administration). The complaint of the girls’ parents was not taken for 12 hours. Pressure was put on the police. People took to the streets fearing that the accused would be saved,” he said.

The school where the alleged incident took place is run by the Adarsh Vidya Prasarak Sanstha, and the outrage has only grown after reports surfaced of delays in filing the sexual abuse case.

Raut sharply criticized the government’s response, calling the situation a “disgrace” to Maharashtra. He also questioned whether the Supreme Court was paying attention to the cries of the public.

“Is this a public cry that the Supreme Court is not seeing or hearing?” he asked, drawing a comparison between the Badlapur incident and the recent rape and murder or trainee doctor in Kolkata.

He accused the government, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, of adopting a similar mindset to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, referencing the alleged case of Karnataka mass rapes, involving NDA leader Prajwal Revanna.

“The mindset of the government is the mindset of the Prime Minister. Even though more than 200 women had filed sexual harassment complaints against Prajwal Revanna in Karnataka, the PM went to his campaign and praised him. Such leadership is acceptable to the Maharashtra government. What can we expect from such a government?” he questioned.

Raut also alleged political connections, suggesting that the school where the assault took place is linked to the BJP.

He claimed that if the school’s owner had been associated with the Congress or Shiv Sena (UBT), there would have been a stronger reaction from the state’s Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BJP’s women’s wing.

“If the owner had been from another party, including the Congress or Shiv Sena (UBT), the state’s Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the party’s women’s wing would have launched an agitation,” he added.