Row Over Badlapur Sex Assault Accused's Death: CM Says Cops Acted in Self-defence, Oppn Dubs It ‘Fake Encounter’

Akshay Shinde, accused of sexually assaulting two girls at a school in Badlapur town of Maharashtra, died in retaliatory firing by police after he snatched a cop’s pistol and opened fire on Monday, an official said.

The incident occurred at 6:15 PM when Shinde, 24, was taken to Badlapur in Thane district from Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai in a police vehicle.

When the vehicle reached Mumbra bypass, Shinde allegedly snatched the pistol of one of the officers and fired two to three rounds, injuring an Assistant Police Inspector (API). In response, another police officer opened fire on Shinde, injuring him critically.

Shinde was rushed to a hospital in Kalwa where he succumbed to his injuries, the official said, adding that API Nilesh More, injured in the firing by Shinde, is undergoing treatment at the hospital.

According to a police officer, four policemen and Shinde were travelling in the vehicle.

The shootout occurred over a month after massive protests erupted on streets and at Badlapur railway station over the alleged sexual abuse of two girls by Shinde, who worked as a sweeper in the school.

As the news of Shinde’s death spread, some people burst crackers in Badlapur town on Monday night.

Cops Acted In Self-defence: Govt

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and State Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said police opened fire in self-defence, leading to Akshay Shinde’s death.

“Akshay Shinde’s former wife has accused him of sexual assault and lodged a complaint against him. Police were taking Shinde (to Badlapur) to investigate this complaint. He snatched the gun of a policeman and opened fire at officials. He also fired in the air. Police shot at him in retaliation,” Fadnavis said.

Shinde, a contractual sweeper at the school in Badlapur, was arrested on August 17, five days after he allegedly sexually abused the two girls in the school toilet.

On September 3, the Bombay High Court told the police to build a “watertight” case and not file a charge sheet hurriedly under public pressure.

CM Shinde said Akshay’s ex-wife had accused him of sexual violence and the police were taking him for a probe regarding these allegations.

“He snatched the gun of a policeman and opened fire. Police fired back in self-defence,” he told reporters.

Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader Milind Deora said, “The hue & cry raised by the opposition over the death of Akshay Shinde is both despicable & irresponsible. The #Badlapur accused opened fire on policemen & seriously injured API Nilesh More. What exactly does the opposition expect? Should our police officers lay down their lives at the hands of rape accused?”

Opposition Dubs Fake Encounter

Meanwhile, Opposition leaders expressed shock over the “encounter” and called for a detailed probe into the incident. They asked if Akshay Shinde was killed to destroy evidence in a case that had triggered national outrage.

Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan claimed the “encounter” was done to save “some other” people.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Vijay Wadettiwar said, “This is shocking. There should be a judicial probe into this incident.” State Congress president Nana Patole wondered if this “encounter” was done to save trustees of the school who have not been arrested so far.

Akshay Shinde’s uncle told a Marathi TV channel that he met his nephew at Taloja jail on Monday and was told that police were beating him up regularly.

“Is it an attempt to destroy evidence? Were Akshay Shinde’s hands not tied by the police during the transit? How could he reach for the gun, and how come the police were so careless? We demand a judicial probe in this matter,” Wadettiwar said.

There is no action against the “BJP-linked” school management but an arrested accused is shot dead in suspicious circumstances, he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sushma Andhare equated the incident with the gunning down of four rape accused in Telangana in 2019.

“There too the police claimed it was done in self-defence. However, due to the deaths, the truth never came out. The same will be the case with the Badlapur sexual assault. Was Akshay Shinde killed as he was hiding something more sinister? Why is the school management still on the run?” she asked.

How come Akshay Shinde managed to snatch a gun despite being handcuffed and how did he know to operate the firearm, Andhare further questioned.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said that the disgraceful conduct by the CM and HM to obfuscate the entire case from day one is obvious.

Hitting back, CM Shinde said, “Earlier, the opposition parties demanded that Akshay Shinde be hanged. Now, they are taking his side and questioning the integrity of Maharashtra police. Such act of the opposition leaders is condemnable and unfortunate.” When asked about the opposition’s allegation that the accused was killed to gain political sympathy, the CM said these parties are making such insensitive allegations as they are rattled by the success of the state government’s Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme.

Fadnavis said, “The Opposition raises questions on every issue. They had wanted him (Shinde) to be hanged. It is wrong to say such things when the police tried to save lives”.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar stated Shinde should have been hanged as per the legal provisions, but the actions of the Home Department, while transferring him (from Taloja Jail) are questionable. He demanded an in-depth inquiry into the incident.

Noted criminal lawyer Ujjwal Nikam said Shinde might have tried to end his life as two chargesheets filed against him showed sufficient evidence against him in the sexual abuse case.

A police officer said Shinde’s postmortem will reveal if he had any previous injuries.

Shinde’s parents had met him in Taloja Jail at 3:30 PM. They claimed to have received information about his death through TV channels and not from police.