Sources on the Badlapur School sexual assault case: Accused is mentally healthy

Mumbai:

According to sources, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged sexual assault of two kindergarten children in Badlapur, India's Maharashtra state, has recorded the statements of the accused's father and brother.

The statements of the accused, Akshay Shinde's father and brother, suggest that he was mentally sound, sources said. Shinde also had a “cruel mentality,” they said. Shinde was a school teacher.

Shinde's first wife – who separated from him just five days after the wedding – had claimed in her statement that he had beaten her and committed “unnatural, cruel acts”.

According to sources, the SIT has sufficient evidence against Shinde and the evidence has been further strengthened by the statements of his family members.

The SIT is still looking for Shinde's phone.

The SIT was set up after the police failed to properly investigate the case, which led to violent public protests, the Bombay High Court said on September 3.

“… Do not rush to file the chargesheet. There is still time. Do not let public pressure get you down. The investigation must be done thoroughly before the chargesheet is filed,” the court had said, making it clear that this case would set a precedent for all future cases of this kind.

Following the alleged sexual abuse of the two kindergarten students, protests broke out in many parts of the state.