Badlapur encounter ‘could have been avoided’: Bombay HC asks why was accused Akshay Shinde ‘shot in head directly’

Badlapur sexual assault case: The shoot-out of Akshay Shinde, accused of the sexual harassment of minor girls in school, could have been avoided, said the Bombay High Court while hearing a petition filed by Shinde's father on Wednesday.

The Bombay HC also asked the police why they didn't try to overpower him first before shooting at him, reported ANI. 

The HC was hearing a plea filed by Shinde's father against his encounter. Badlapur sexual assault case accused person's father, Anna Shinde, has demanded a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the case. The plea, filed through advocate Amit Katranware, has alleged that Akshay Shinde was filled in a fake encounter, reported ANI.

What did HC say on the Badlapur accused encounter?

During the hearing, Justice Chavan underlined that it is not very easy for a man to unlock a revolver in such a short duration. “A revolver can't be unlocked quickly by a physically weak man. It is not very easy,” the Bombay High Court told Public Prosector, according to ANI.

To which the public prosecutor responded, “The officer's pistol was unlocked.”

“It is difficult to believe this. Prima facie there seem to be issues. A common man can't fire a pistol because it needs strength. A revolver can't be unlocked quickly by a physically weak man. It is not very easy,” ANI quoted Justice Chavan as saying.

We would have accepted the court verdict after a trial: Shinde's father

While speaking to PTI earlier, Shinde's father said that the family would have accepted the verdict of a court after a fair trial. Speaking to PTI, he questioned the police's claim that Akshay snatched a policeman's gun and fired, leading to a retaliatory shooting and his death on Monday evening.

He also claimed that his son was even scared of crackers' bursting sound and it is not possible for him to “snatch a pistol from a police officer and open fire”, reported PTI. Police had filed a charge sheet in the sexual assault case and he could have been put on trial, Anna Shinde further said.

"The family would have accepted the verdict delivered by the court after a trial, but we are poor people; we don't have a voice," he said, claiming that police killed his son for some unknown reasons.

Akshay Shinde's dead body was sent for post-mortem at state-run J J hospital in Mumbai. Later, his body was sent to a civic-run hospital in Kalwa in Thane district.

Akshay Shinde's encounter

Akshay Shinde was accused of sexually assaulting two girls at a school in Maharashtra's Badlapur town. He used to work as a sweeper in the school and the crime came to light after the minor girls complained about the incident with their parents.

The police killed Shinde in a retaliatory firing after he allegedly snatched a cop's gun and opened fire, an official told PTI on Monday. The policemen were taking him from Taloja jail to Badlapur on September 23.