Accused Akshay Shinde dies in shootout with police

The accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case was allegedly shot in an exchange of fire on Monday. Akshay Shinde, the accused who is in custody for sexually assaulting two minors in August, is said to have A police officer was shot and injured in a retaliatory shot, police said.

Shinde grabbed a revolver from a policeman and fired at the policeman, injuring him. Other policemen present fired back at Shinde, leaving him seriously injured.

The incident took place when Akshay Shinde was being taken from Taloja jail to Badlapur for interrogation. When the police vehicle reached Mumbra bypass, the accused snatched a policeman's gun and fired at an assistant police inspector.

Reacting to the incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “He (Akshay Shinde) has been summoned for investigation as his ex-wife has filed a case of sexual assault. He shot at a policeman, Nilesh More, who was injured and was admitted to hospital. The police acted in self-defence. More information will be disclosed after the investigation…”

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “He (Akshay Shinde) grabbed the police weapon and fired at policemen and also in the air. The police shot at him in self-defence. He was taken to the hospital.”

Fadnavis rejected the opposition's allegations on the grounds that if the accused had attacked the police, the police would have defended themselves.

“The doctors will announce later, but the preliminary information we have is that he has died. The opposition is questioning everything, the same opposition demanded that he be hanged. If he had attacked the police, wouldn't the police have acted in self-defence? It is wrong to make an issue out of this,” the BJP leader said.

Anand Dubey, leader and spokesperson of the Shiv Sena (UBT), asked the Maharashtra government to set up an SIT to investigate the matter as “there are many doubts”. “The government and the police should clarify and tell the public what happened,” he said.

Akshay Shinde, 23, who worked as a cleaner at a school in Badlapur, was arrested by police on August 17 for sexually assaulting two four-year-old schoolgirls in the toilet of a school in Badlapur town in Thane district of Maharashtra.

Following the sexual assault, violent protests broke out in Badlapur and other parts of Maharashtra. The outrage was also felt in Shinde's village, where people barged into his house and vandalised his belongings.

What is the Badlapur sexual assault case?

The Badlapur sexual assault case occurred on August 12 and 13, 2024, when two four-year-old girls, attending pre-primary classes of a prestigious co-educational school in Badlapur, were allegedly sexually assaulted by Akshay Shinde in a girls' toilet.

The girls had gone to the toilet during morning classes when the assault took place. The school had not assigned female staff to the girls' toilets. The incident came to light after one of the girls complained of pain in her private parts. She also told the parents that the accused had touched her private parts when she went to the toilet.

The accused, Akshay Shinde, was hired on a contractual basis on August 1, 2024. He was assigned the task of cleaning the girls' toilet when he sexually abused the girls. The parents of the two girls filed a complaint following which the accused was nabbed by the police.

The sexual assault led to widespread protests in Badlapur and neighboring districts of Maharashtra. During the protest, the protesters blocked railway tracks and demanded justice. Some of the protesters also damaged school property and smashed gates, window panes, benches and doors.

Following the protests, the region's internet was shut down. Charges were also filed against 300 people who took part in the protests that broke out in Badlapur.