Badlapur sexual assault accused succumbs to bullet injuries from by Thane police, Oppn says, ’Murdered in cold blood’

Hours after the Thane police crime branch shot down Badlapur sexual assault accused Akshay Shinde on Monday evening, politics on the reported encounter has heated up, with the opposition slamming the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.

Citing the reason for the encounter, the police had mentioned that the Akshay Shinde – prime accused who allegedly assaulted two minor girls in Badlapur – had snatched a police officer's weapon and opened fire. He also injured one officer, following the accused was shot in cross-firing and later succumbed to his injuries.

However, the opposition has started raising questions about the government's inaction and referred to it as the Mahayuti government's 'incompetence'. They are also seeking a judicial enquiry into this incident.

Here's how opposition leaders react:

Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar president Sharad Pawar reacted on the Badlapur shooting case and said that it seems that the government has become weak in threatening the law, so no one would even think of such a reprehensible act in the future.

He took to X and wrote, “The injustice done to the two children in Badlapur should have been executed within the proper framework of law. But 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 in threatening the law so that no one would even think of such a reprehensible act in the future. It is expected that the situation will emerge from the thorough investigation of this incident.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi even claimed that the co-accused and the entire altercation are a ‘story written by the state government.’

Chaturvedi took to X and 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 incompetent government.”

“Coming soon, nobody sexually assaulted the 6 year olds. A story written, sponsored and executed by the state government,” Chaturvedi added.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the accused was murdered in cold blood. He said, as quoted by ANI, "He was murdered in cold blood. Nobody will believe that it was an encounter. It is a black day for Maharashtra Police as once upon a time it had a great reputation. I have demanded an inquiry from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who was in Mumbai at the same time. I don't believe Maharashtra Police under the current dispensation will be able to do justice. The real perpetrators of this crime will never be found. People of Maharashtra would like to know the truth."

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole asked why the government is trying to protect the main culprits?

He commented, "We are coming to know that the accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case has died...Our demand is that no accused should be spared so that such an incident does not repeat...Why the government is trying to protect the main culprits, the court should investigate this, this is the demand of the Congress party..."

NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule stated the Mahayuti Government's approach as shocking.

She took to X and wrote, “The Mahayuti Government's approach to the Badlapur sexual assault case of two minor girls is shocking! Delay in the filing of FIR first, and now the prime accused is killed in custody! This is an absolute breakdown of law enforcement and justice system. This is inexcusable, it deprives the people of Maharashtra of justice.”

Maharashtra LoP and Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar stated the police didn't handled the Badlapur incident seriously. He also sought a judicial enquiry into this incident.

He said, as quoted by ANI, "The police haven't handled the Badlapur incident seriously. There were protests all over the state. The Home Department and the govt tried everything to protect the accused... In the incident that happened today, the police fired in self-defence, I think there is something wrong with that. It might be an attempt to protect the people related to BJP and RSS by killing the main accused... We demand a judicial inquiry into this..."

While Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey said, "...The Home Minister & Police should form an SIT to probe the matter as there are many doubts. The govt and Police should clarify and tell the public what happened..."

With agency inputs.