A magistrate's inquiry has found five police officers responsible for the custodial death of Akshay Shinde, who was the prime accused in the Badlapur school sexual assault case.
The inquiry report was submitted to the Bombay High Court, which heard a plea from Akshay Shinde's father, Anna Shinde, alleging that his son was killed in a fake encounter, according to a PTI report.
Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale reviewed the findings and stated that an FIR must be registered against the officers involved.
Akshay Shinde, 24, was arrested in August 2024 for allegedly assaulting two minor girls at a school where he worked as an attendant.
Shinde died during an alleged police shootout on September 23 while being transported for questioning. The police claimed he had snatched a firearm from an officer and opened fire, prompting retaliatory action.
However, the inquiry raised serious doubts about this account, noting that forensic evidence did not support the police's claims, the report stated.
The court emphasised that as per legal requirements, an investigation must follow the registration of the FIR against the five officers, including senior police inspector Sanjay Shinde and assistant police inspector Nilesh More. The bench has instructed public prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar to inform them within two weeks about which agency will conduct the investigation.
Opposition leaders Nana Patole, Anil Deshmukh and Aaditya Thackeray on Monday sought action in the killing of Badlapur sexual assault case accused Akshay Shinde after a magistrate's inquiry held five policemen responsible for the custodial death.
NCP (SP) leader and former state home minister Anil Deshmukh said he had always suspected foul play in the case. "How can someone with no knowledge of firearms snatch a police pistol and use it? The state government must conduct a detailed inquiry into the encounter. It must be known why it was carried out and to shield whom," Deshmukh said. He claimed the Badlapur school was run by people close to the BJP.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said the incident was shameful, adding that the state government was shielding the accused by not letting the truth behind it come out. "Those guilty should be punished severely," Patole said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray asked if it was a "political encounter". He asked if the killing was done ahead of the (assembly) polls (which took place in November) for political gains.
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