Controversy Erupts Over Encounter Death of Badlapur Rape Accused Akshay Shinde Ahead of Maharashtra Elections; who said what?

The death of Akshay Shinde, the man accused of raping two four-year-olds in Badlapur, has sparked controversy as Maharashtra approaches its assembly elections. Shinde was killed in police firing after allegedly snatching a constable's gun and opening fire while being transferred from Taloja jail to Thane police station, according to police reports. 

Fake encounter: Akshay's mother

This incident has raised questions from the Opposition, who are skeptical about how a handcuffed person could snatch a gun from a police officer, suggesting the possibility of a staged encounter. Accused's mother has said that it was a fake encounter and that the her son had been killed by the police. 

CM slams the opposition for shifting their stance

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde criticized the opposition for shifting their stance. He said that they previously demanded the death penalty for Akshay Shinde but are now questioning the integrity of the Maharashtra police. He defended the police's actions, claiming they were acting in self-defense.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the police were attempting to save lives and reaffirming the events described by Chief Minister Shinde.

Fadnavis said the Opposition had lost no time in attacking the ruling coalition after the death of Akshay Shinde, who allegedly raped two nursery school students in the washroom of the Badlapur school, triggering outrage in the state.  

An attempt to "destroy evidence": Wadettiwar 

Leader of Opposition in the assembly Vijay Wadettiwar questioned if it was an attempt to "destroy evidence". 

"Were Akshay Shinde's hands not handcuffed by the police during the transit? How could he snatch the gun, and how come the police were so careless?" he said. There is no action against the "BJP-linked" school management but an arrested accused is shot dead in suspicious circumstances, he said. "We have no trust in Badlapur police," he added, calling for a judicial probe. 

Laxity shown by the Home Dept is questionable: Sharad Pawar

Veteran leader Sharad Pawar, who leads his faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, targeted the state home ministry. In a vernacular post on X, formerly Twitter, he said: "The laxity shown by the Home Department in transferring the main accused in this incident is questionable. It seems that the government has become weak".

'Was Akshay Shinde killed as he was hiding something more sinister?'

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sushma Andhare equated the incident with the gunning down of four rape accused in Telangana in 2019. "There too the police claimed it was done in self-defence. However, due to the deaths, the truth never came out. The same will be the case with the Badlapur sexual assault. Was Akshay Shinde killed as he was hiding something more sinister? Why is the school management still on the run," she said.

"It shows the state home minister's inability to handle critical cases," she said, demanding that Mr Fadnavis shed some light on these questions.