Sanjay Raut claims ‘big conspiracy’ behind Badlapur encounter: ‘Done to save…’

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday attacked the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra over the death of Akshay Shinde, the accused in Badlapur sexual assault case, in a police encounter.

Terming his death as an “encounter”, Raut said that Shinde was killed to save the “main accused” in the case, which is the school management.

While speaking to reporters, the Rajya Sabha MP said that while there is no reason to show any sympathy to the accused, the “encounter” was suspicious, questioning how a janitor can snatch a gun and fire a locked weapon while in custody.

"But this murder or encounter that has taken place was done to save the main accused (school management). How convincing is it that a janitor snatches a gun from a policeman and fire a locked weapon? This is a basic question," Raut said.

Accusing the government of protecting the school authorities over the incident, Raut said, “This is a big conspiracy. Those who are being saved enjoy patronage of the chief minister and deputy chief minister.”

Read more: Badlapur sex assault accused encounter | ‘How can handcuffed man…’: Opposition questions police version

He also said the CCTV footage of the school, where the sexual assault incident occurred, is missing. "The school is related to BJP and yesterday's story (Akshay Shinde's killing) was done to save them," the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader claimed.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis wanted to save the school management and for this they wanted to destroy the main piece of evidence, he further alleged.

Akshay Shinde, accused of sexually assaulting two minor girls in a government school in Badlapur, was shot dead on Monday evening when he snatched the revolver of a police officer and fired at a cop.

The incident occurred at 6.15 pm when Shinde was being taken to Badlapur in Thane district from Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai in a police vehicle.

While opposition leaders slammed the “suspicious” nature of the incident, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske, also the spokesperson of the party led by CM Shinde, attacked the opposition for “prioritizing political gains over justice.”

He expressed dismay at the accusations aimed at the police, arguing that such rhetoric undermines the bravery and professionalism of law enforcement authorities.

(With inputs from PTI)