Accused of sexual assault in Badlapur shoots at police and dies in retaliatory shooting: officer

Mumbai: The man accused of sexually assaulting two girls at a school in the town of Badlapur in Maharashtra state died in retaliatory police firing after he snatched a policeman's gun and opened fire, an official said on Monday.

Akshay Shinde, who worked as a cleaner in the school, snatched the revolver from one of the policemen who were taking him from Taloja jail to Badlapur on Monday, the official said.

He was rushed to a hospital in Kalwa where he succumbed to his injuries, the official said. A deputy police inspector, who was injured in the Shinde firing incident, is currently undergoing treatment in the hospital, he added.

When the vehicle reached Mumbra Bypass, Shinde grabbed the revolver of one of the policemen in the vehicle and fired two or three shots, injuring the policeman. In response, another policeman opened fire on Shinde, injuring him.

Last month, there were massive protests on the streets and at the local railway station after two minor girls were allegedly sexually abused by Shinde in the toilet of a school in Thane district.

The school had contracted 23-year-old Shinde to clean the toilets on August 1.

The two minors were allegedly abused in the school toilet on August 12. The accused was arrested on August 17.

On September 3, the Bombay High Court asked the police to build a “watertight” case and not rush to file charges under public pressure.

Opposition leaders expressed their dismay at the “encounter” and called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan claimed that the “encounter” took place to save “some other” people.

Leader of the Opposition in the state parliament Vijay Wadettiwar said: “This is shocking. This incident should be investigated by the courts.”

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole wondered if this “encounter” was taking place to save the school's trustees, who have not been arrested so far.

Akshay's uncle told a Marathi television channel that he met Akshay in Taloja jail on Monday and was told that the police were regularly beating him.

PTI