NEW DELHI: A Thane magistrate’s probe into the death of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur school sexual assault case, has concluded that five police officers are responsible for his custodial death. The submitted report was submitted to the Bombay high court in a sealed envelope.
A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale reviewed the report, which found five police officers responsible for the death of the accused. The court ruled that an FIR should be lodged against them and an investigation will be launched.
Shinde, 24, was arrested in August for allegedly sexually assaulting two girls at a school in Badlapur, Maharashtra. On September 24, he was killed during a police shootout while being transported to a transit remand prison for questioning. Police claimed that Shinde had snatched an officer’s gun and opened fire, wounding one officer, prompting a retaliatory shot that fatally wounded him. The police maintain that it was an act of self-defense.
However, Shinde’s family has disputed the police version of events, claiming that the encounter was staged. They allege that their son, who was reportedly unarmed during his visit to Taloja prison earlier that day, could not have carried out such an attack. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Vice President Devendra Fadnavis defended the police, saying the officers acted in self-defense after the alleged attack.
After the assault, protesters vandalized school property and blocked train tracks in response to the incident. Additionally, the school president and secretary face charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act for failing to report the assault in time.
In light of these developments, the Maharashtra government has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to further investigate the case.