Police officers acted in self-defence, say CM, Fadnavis

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the police shot dead Akshay Shinde, accused in the sexual assault case at a school in Badlapur, in self-defence.

Akshay Shinde, accused of sexually assaulting two girls in the school where he worked as a teacher, was being taken from Taloja jail to Badlapur for investigation when he snatched a policeman's gun and shot at an assistant inspector as the police vehicle reached Mumbra bypass.

He was killed by a retaliatory shot from a police officer who was part of the escort team.

“Akshay Shinde's ex-wife had accused him of sexual assault and the police arrested him on these charges for investigation. He snatched the gun of a policeman who opened fire. The police fired back in self-defence,” CM Shinde told reporters.

However, the incident was condemned by opposition parties, who questioned the sequence of events and asked whether it was an attempt to destroy evidence in a case that had sparked nationwide outrage.

“Is this an attempt to destroy evidence? Were Akshay Shinde's hands not tied by the police while he was driving? How could he reach for the gun and why was the police so careless? We demand a judicial inquiry into this matter,” said Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Vijay Wadettiwar.

There was no action against the “BJP-affiliated” school administration, but an arrested accused was shot dead under suspicious circumstances, he said, adding: “We have no faith in the Badlapur police.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sushma Andhare compared the incident to the shooting of four rape accused in Telangana in 2019.

“There too, the police claimed it was done in self-defence. But because of the deaths, the truth never came out. The same will be the case with the Badlapur sexual assault. Was Akshay Shinde killed because he was hiding something more sinister? Why is the school management still on the run,” she said.

How could Akshay Shinde steal a gun despite being handcuffed and how did he know how to use the gun, Andhare further asked.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is in charge of the home ministry, must shed light on these issues, she said, adding: “It shows the inability of the state home minister to handle critical cases.”

Hitting back, CM Shinde said, “Earlier, the opposition parties were demanding that Akshay Shinde be hanged. Now they are siding with him and questioning the integrity of the Maharashtra Police. Such action by the opposition leaders is reprehensible and unfortunate.” Asked about the opposition's claim that the accused was killed to gain political sympathy, the CM said these parties were unsettled by the success of his government's Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin programme.

“That is why these parties are making such insensitive allegations,” Shinde alleged.

Commenting on the incident, Fadnavis said the police opened fire in self-defence, which led to the death of Akshay Shinde.

He also said that the police would take him to Badlapur to investigate his ex-wife's allegations.

“The opposition asks questions on every issue. They wanted him hanged. It is wrong to say such a thing when the police were trying to save lives,” the deputy prime minister said, confirming the chain of events described by the prime minister.

In a post on X, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said, “The accused should have been hanged as per law, but the action of the Home Ministry in transferring him (from Taloja Jail) is questionable.” The NCP (SP) chief demanded a thorough investigation into the incident.

Ujjwal Nikam said, “Two chargesheets were filed against Shinde and I was the public prosecutor in both the cases. According to the documents submitted, there was sufficient evidence against Shinde. Perhaps that is why Shinde tried to end his life. We cannot rule out this possibility. A judicial inquiry will bring out the truth in this case.” “The two young girls had already identified Akshay Shinde and the Maharashtra Police had collected more evidence against him,” Nikam said.

When asked whether it was an encounter, Nikam, who unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a BJP candidate, said it would be inappropriate to jump to conclusions.