Badlapur rape accused dies in police firing: Government says he snatched revolver and fired, police did self-defense; family says it was an encounter

Akshay Shinde, accused of raping two girls in a school in Badlapur, Maharashtra, died in police firing on 23 September. The Maharashtra government said that the accused had snatched the revolver of a policeman and fired at the jawan while being taken for investigation. The police fired at him in self-defense.

According to the police, the ex-wife of the 24-year-old accused had filed an FIR against him. The police took him from Taloja jail to Badlapur at 5:30 pm for investigation in this case. While returning, the police vehicle was at Mumbra bypass in Thane between 6 pm and 6:15 pm.

Then the accused snatched the revolver from the waist of Assistant Police Inspector (API) Nilesh More and fired 3 rounds. One bullet hit API More’s thigh. Then another policeman fired a shot at the accused. API More and Shinde were taken to the hospital, where doctors declared Shinde dead.

However, the accused’s family has claimed his encounter. Akshay’s mother and uncle said that this is a conspiracy of the police and Badlapur school management. The police beat him a lot in jail. He was killed to suppress the case. We will not take his body.

Statement of the government and the family on the death of Akshay Shinde

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde: Akshay Shinde’s ex-wife has filed a sexual harassment case against him. The police took him for investigation. During this, he shot a policeman Nilesh More, who got injured. The police took this action in self-defense. More information will be revealed after the investigation.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis: Police was taking Akshay Shinde for investigation with a warrant. He snatched the pistol of the police. He fired at the police personnel and also fired in the air. Police fired at him in self-defense. The opposition raises questions on everything. The same opposition was demanding the death penalty for the accused. If he had attacked the police, would the police not have done self-defense? It is wrong to make any issue out of this.

Accused’s family: Akshay had told us that he was being beaten in police custody and he had also sent a chit to send money. The police had also made him write something, but we don’t know what it is. Akshay was scared of bursting crackers and crossing the road. Then how could he shoot at the policemen.

What did the opposition say on the death of the accused

NCP (Sharad faction) MP Supriya Sule- The attitude of the Mahayuti government in the sexual assault case of two minor girls in Badlapur is shocking. First there was a delay in filing the FIR and now the main accused has been killed in custody. This is a complete collapse of the law enforcement and justice system.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi- The accused is dead, and the other co-accused under POCSO, who was a school board member and BJP functionary, is still absconding. The shoot and run tactics of the incompetent government is a textbook case. Soon we will hear that no one sexually assaulted 6-year-old girls. Written, sponsored and executed by the state government.

Congress State President Nana Patole- This incident has raised some serious questions. The school trustees have still not been arrested in the Badalpur atrocities case, they are absconding, why have they not been arrested yet? Is an attempt being made to end the case by encountering the main accused to save the absconding accused in this case? Has the police encountered the accused in an attempt to suppress the entire case? An inquiry should be conducted by High Court judges to bring out the truth of this case.

Akshay joined the school on 1 August and sexually abused them on 12-13 August. Akshay Shinde, accused of raping the girls, used to work as a sweeper in the school. He was appointed on contract on 1 August. On 12 and 13 August, he sexually abused two girls aged 3 and 4 years studying in kindergarten in the girls’ washroom of the school.

After the incident, both the girls were scared to go to school. When the parents of one of the girls got suspicious, they questioned their daughter. After this, the girl told them everything. Then the parents of that girl talked to the parents of the other girl. After this, both the girls underwent medical tests, which revealed sexual abuse.

The girls used to call the accused Dada, he was arrested on August 17. During police interrogation, it was revealed that the girl used to call the accused Shinde as Dada (Marathi word for elder brother). According to the girl, ‘Dada’ opened her clothes and touched her inappropriately. There was no female staff in the school where the incident took place.

When the families of the two girls reached the police station to register a case, the police also hesitated in registering an FIR. The victim families sought help from social workers. Two days later, on the late night of August 16, the police registered a complaint. The police arrested the accused on August 17.

People had stopped trains and pelted stones at the police

The crowd protested at Badalpur station from 8 am to 6 pm on August 20 over the incident. The movement of local trains was halted for more than 10 hours. In the evening, the police cleared the railway track by lathicharge. The crowd also pelted stones at the police then.

Cabinet Minister Girish Mahajan reached Badlapur station to talk to the protesters, but he had to return. After this, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the formation of SIT. Apart from this, the government had said that the case would be run in a fast track court.

The state government had suspended 3 policemen including a woman police inspector of Badalpur police station for delay in registering the case. Some school staff including the principal were also suspended.

Child Commission said- School administration tried to suppress the case. Maharashtra State Child Rights Protection Commission Chairperson Susiben Shah had alleged that the school hid the crime instead of helping the parents of the girls. If the school had taken cognizance on time and lodged a complaint, the chaotic situation could have been avoided. The Commission has submitted a report to CM Eknath Shinde regarding the matter.