Badlapur Sexual Assault Accused Killed In Encounter, Maharashtra CM Shinde Defends Police Action While Opposition Raises Doubts

The accused in the sexual assault of two four-year-old girls at a private school in Maharashtra's Badlapur was killed in an encounter on Monday (23 September).

The 23-year-old accused Akshay Shinde, who worked as a cleaning staff in the school, was arrested last month. He was killed in "retaliatory firing" after he allegedly open fired at the policemen.

According to police, the accused attempted to escape custody by grabbing Assistant Police Inspector (API) Nilesh More's firearm while being transported in a vehicle.

He then opened fire on the officers escorting him, firing three shots and injuring More along with two other officers. The incident took place near the Mumbra Bypass in Thane district.

The accused was being transported by a Crime Branch Special Investigation Team (SIT), which had been investigating a sexual assault complaint filed by his ex-wife in 2021, a senior officer informed.

The accused had been held at Taloja Central Jail and was taken from there around 5:30 pm. The shooting occurred between 6:00 and 6:15 pm, according to a police report.

API More sustained a gunshot wound to his left thigh and was taken to a hospital in Kalwa for treatment, along with the two other injured officers. The accused was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

While Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his Deputy Devendra Fadnavis are defending the police action, the accused's family and opposition parties are claiming foul play in the police's version.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said, "The accused should have been hanged to death through the legal route. The negligence shown by the Home department while transferring the accused raises serious doubts."

The accused sexually assaulted girls on 12 and 13 August in the washroom of the nursery school and the FIR was lodged on 16 August under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.