Police fired in self-defence, says Mahayuti; MVA demands judicial probe

Mumbai: The killing of Akshay Shinde, the arrested accused in the Badlapur school sexual assaults case, in a police encounter on Monday kicked up a political storm weeks ahead of the assembly elections.

While the ruling Mahayuti alliance said that the police fired at Shinde in self-defence, opposition parties demanded a judicial investigation into the killing and questioned whether it was done to help the absconding trustees of the school, which they alleged is linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The incident is likely to be used by both sides to score political mileage in the run-up to the state elections.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde said the police shot Akshay Shinde in self-defence after he fired at them. He added that it was shameful that the Opposition, which was demanding to hang the accused, is now questioning the police’s action.

“The Opposition has lost their mental balance after realising that they are losing the ensuing election owing to the huge response to our Ladki Bahin scheme. They have started supporting the accused, who was involved in a heinous crime. The Opposition is questioning the police action. This is shameful and I condemn the Opposition,” he said.

Shinde was referring to the Opposition’s ploy to counter the state government’s pro-women narrative ahead of the state elections by introducing the populist Ladki Bahin scheme, which promises a monthly allowance of ₹1,500 for underprivileged women. Opposition parties had staged protests across the state over the Badlapur incident.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, also the state’s home minister, said it was wrong to raise questions on the police’s action. “The Opposition has developed a mindset of raising question on everything. They do not ever realise that the police opened fire in self defence,” he said.

Following the encounter, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders slammed the police and demanded a thorough investigation into the incident. Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar led the Opposition’s attack, accusing the state home department of negligence.

“The injustice done to two children in Badlapur should have rightly resulted in the death penalty within the appropriate legal framework. However, the negligence shown by the home department while transferring the main accused in this case raises suspicions,” he said.

“It seems the government has failed to instill enough fear of the law to prevent anyone from even imagining such a heinous act in the future. A thorough investigation into this incident is expected to bring the truth to light,” the veteran leader added.

State Congress president Nana Patole questioned the chain of events and demanded an investigation by a high court judge. He also accused the Mahayuti government of attempting to save the members of the school management who were related to the BJP and the RSS.

“No one knows where the other accused in the case have escaped,” said Patole. Since school management is related to RSS and BJP, we are suspicious if all this is being done to save them. We also don’t know if it was a real or fake encounter. We don’t believe in this government and, hence, want a probe to be conducted by a sitting high court judge.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray termed the killing of Akshay Shinde as suspicious and demanded a fair investigation into the incident.

“He should have been hanged within the framework of the law for the inhuman act he had committed in Badlapur. But what happened this evening is suspicious,” he said.

“There will people who try to use this case to clean their political image. But why is the director of this school still not found? Who is trying to save them? Is there any connection between today’s incident and this cover-up? There should be fair investigation of this incident,” he added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi accused the Mahayuti government of incompetence. In a post on X, she wrote: “The accused is dead, and the other co-accused under POCSO who were the school board members as well as BJP office bearers are on the run. Such a textbook case of shoot and scoot tactics applied by an incompetent government. Coming soon, nobody sexually assaulted the 6-year-olds (sic). A story written, sponsored, and executed by the state government.”