Thane (Maharashtra), Sep 24 : The horrific rape case of two minor nursery-going girls, aged barely 3 and 5 in a Badlapur case -- that shook the collective conscience of the nation -- ended in a pool of blood when the prime accused, Akshay S. Shinde, fell to police bullets after an alleged 'encounter'.

The purported reasons for the encounter -- speculated from an attempted suicide by Akshay Shinde to a desperate bid to escape from custody -- would be the subject matter of a special 15-member probe team set up hours after his killing.

The alleged double rape took place on August 12-13 in the girls toilet of the Adarsh Vidya Prasarak Sanstha (AVPS) school but it remained under wraps for nearly a week.

However, it finally erupted like a volcano with a massive, impromptu public protest by thousands of shaken citizens of Badlapur town, in the home district of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The fuming crowds blocked the railways and roads for nearly 10 hours before the administration got cracking.

A Brief Timeline:

Aug 12-13: Thane Police found that two tiny tots, aged 3 and 5, studying in the AVPS nursery section were allegedly sexually abused in the girls' toilet.

Aug 16: The incident came to the knowledge of the parents when one of the little girls refused to go to school, and finally narrated her ordeal to her horrified parents.

Aug 17: The prime suspect, Akshay S. Shinde was arrested and charged for the alleged sexual assault on the two tiny-tots. He was shunted to police custody for three days which was extended till August 26. All lawyers in Kalyan and surroundings refused to touch his case.

Aug 20: As the Thane Police appeared to dilly-dally on the case probe as a politically connected school was involved, people trooped out in an unprecedented rail blockade stir of the Badlapur railway station, and the snowballing effect also clogged all the roads in the city and surroundings.

The protests that paralysed the Central Railway (CR) services on that section finally ended after a mild baton charge and tear-gas shelling on the protestors late that evening.

Panicking by the public outbursts, the MahaYuti alliance suspended a woman cop who initially refused to file the FIR by the parents and made them cool heels in the police station for many hours. Later three other cops were also suspended for dereliction of duty.

The state government also announced an SIT to probe the incident as the locals demanded a public hanging for the accused. The AVPS Trustees suspended the school Principal and two other staffers. The court would be tried by a fast-track court, said CM Shinde.

Aug 21: As public anger continued to simmer, the government sacked the AVPS Board of Trustees and appointed an Administrator. All schools were shut as a mark of protest, and the Internet remained disconnected. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed concern over what had come to be known as the 'Badlapur horror'.

Aug 22: As the SIT started its probe, the Bombay High Court took suo motu cognisance of the case, questioning why no action was taken against the AVPS school. The state government appointed senior IAS officer I.S. Chahal as the Additional Chief Secretary (Home).

Aug 23: The SIT invoked POCSO sections against AVPS school principal, the trustees like the Chairman and Secretary, for not reporting the heinous crime on its premises.

Aug. 24: MVA called for a 'Maharashtra Bandh', but withdrew it after the Bombay High Court restrictions and carried out silent protests all over the state against the 'Badlapur horror'. The MVA demands implementing the stringent 'Shakti Law' enacted by its government to check crimes against women.

Aug. 25: PM Narendra Modi said in Jalgaon (Maharashtra) that crimes against women are an unforgivable sin and the perpetrators must not be spared.

Aug. 26: Accused Akshay Shinde was sent to 14 days' judicial custody after his police remand ended. The Maharashtra government said the CCTV footage of the past 15 days was missing from the AVPS school records.

Sep 3: During the case hearing, the Bombay HC directed the Maharashtra government to 'sensitise boys' to build a safe environment for girls to grow in society.

The state government committee constituted in the case should suggest and implement measures to tackle sexual assault of children and similar crimes, said HC.

Sep 16: The SIT filed its first charge sheet in the case, based on the complaint of one of the girls.

Sep 19: The SIT filed the second charge sheet, based on the second girl's complaint after the high court directives.

Sep 23: In a shocking development, Akshay Shinde was shot dead while being taken from the Taloja Jail in Raigad to Badlapur in Thane by a Crime Branch team, in a purported 'encounter'.

Amid an uproar, police set up an SIT to probe the circumstances leading to his gory death, barely five weeks after he was arrested.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in / qnajmi@gmail.com)

/IANS