Badlapur assault case: Accused dies in shooting after snatching cop’s gun

Thane: The man accused in the sexual assault case of two minor girls in Badlapur died on Monday evening in retaliatory firing after he snatched a gun from a police officer and opened fire at him.

Speaking on the case, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “His (Akshay Shinde) ex-wife had lodged a complaint of sexual assault against him. Police, along with a warrant, were taking him for an investigation in the case. He snatched the police gun and fired on police personnel and in the air too. Police fired on him in self-defence. He was taken to the hospital. Doctors will declare it later but the preliminary information that we have is that he has died.”

“The opposition raises questions on everything, the same opposition was asking to hang him. If he had attacked the police, wouldn’t the police do the self-defence? It’s wrong to create any issue out of it,” said Fadnavis.

According to information received from Thane Police, the accused, Akshay Shinde, was being taken from Taloja Jail to Badlapur in a new case filed by his wife when he snatched the weapon from a police official and opened fire and got injured near Mumbra bypass, and later he was taken to the hospital where he died.

“In retaliation, another police officer shot at him, leaving him seriously injured, after which he was taken to the hospital,” confirmed a senior Thane Police officer.

Reacting to this, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde earlier in the day said, “He (Akshay Shinde) was taken for investigation as his ex-wife registered a sexual assault case against him. He fired on a police personnel, Nilesh More who got injured and has been admitted to the hospital. Police in self-defence took that action. More information will come out after investigation.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and spokesperson Anand Dubey also spoke on the incident and said, “The Home Minister and Police should form an SIT to probe the matter as there are many doubts. The government and police should clarify and tell the public what happened.”

Earlier in August, the Bombay High Court took suo motu cognizance of the alleged sexual assault of two girls at a school in Badlapur and said that boys need to be educated about gender equality from a young age and there is a need to bring change in their mindset.

The court made the remarks during a hearing on the Badlapur sexual assault case. A bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan said male dominance and chauvinism continue in society, and there is a need to teach boys about right and wrong behaviour from a young age.

The Court suggested constituting a committee to study the issue and recommend rules and guidelines to be followed in schools to prevent such incidents. The court had expressed its displeasure over the way the Badlapur Police conducted the initial investigation into the case and said that the police should have shown some sensitivity.

The court said one of the victim girls and her family were asked to come to the police station to record their statement.
It said Badlapur police did not even make an attempt to record statements at their home, and there has been a serious lapse in the investigation of Badlapur police. Maharashtra Advocate General (AG) Birendra Saraf admitted the lapse and said three police officers from Badlapur police station have been suspended.

During the hearing, the court questioned why the victim girls were sent to the toilet with a male attendant and if the school had probed his background before recruiting him. On this, the police said that the parents of the accused are working in the same school, and hence he was also hired. The accused has married three times, and the statements of his wives have been recorded.

The alleged sexual assault of two fourth-grade girls at a school in Maharashtra’s Badlapur had sparked outrage. On August 17, police arrested an attendant of the school for allegedly abusing the girls. The state government had formed an SIT to probe the sexual assault case.