Who is Inspector Sanjay Shinde? ‘Encounter Specialist’ who fired last bullet at Badlapur rape accused Akshay Shinde

Akshay Shinde, the prime accused in the rape case of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur in Maharashtra’s Thane district, died after police fired at him in retaliation on Monday. The encounter between Akshay Shinde and the police took place when he was being brought from Taloja Jail to Thane for treatment.

Badlapur suspect killed in retaliatory attack

According to the police, the incident took place when the suspect was being taken for treatment. He grabbed a police officer’s gun and fired at the police officer. Assistant police inspector Nilesh More was injured in the shooting. Police inspector Sanjay Shinde fired the final shot, injuring him. He later died in the hospital.

Who is Inspector Sanjay Shinde?

Police Inspector Sanjay Shinde is known as an encounter specialist, having worked closely with IPS officer Pradeep Sharma in the Anti-Extortion Cell of Thane Crime Branch. Sharma, famous for neutralizing over 100 criminals through encounters, is seen in the Netflix docuseries Mumbai Mafia: Police vs Underworld.

Shinde’s career highlights include the high-profile arrest of Iqbal Kaskar, brother of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, in an extortion case in 2017. Prior to that, he served in the Mumbai Police and was recently appointed by the Maharashtra government to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the Badlapur rape case.

Controversial involvement

Sanjay Shinde’s career has not been without controversy. In 2012, he was questioned after Vijay Palande, accused of two murders, escaped from police custody. Shinde’s uniform was found in the SUV used in the escape, raising questions about his role. He was also involved in a shootout with another cop, leading to an internal investigation.

Akshay Shinde’s family claims fake meeting

The family of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur rape case, has disputed the police version of events surrounding his death in an encounter. They allege that the encounter was staged and that Akshay was coerced by the police into confessing to the sexual assault charges.

According to his mother and uncle, the claim that he grabbed a police officer’s gun and shot at officers, leading to the police firing in self-defense, is fabricated. They claim his confession was obtained under duress.

Family demands investigation

Akshay Shinde’s father Anna Shinde has insisted that his son’s death should be investigated, alleging a conspiracy between the police and the school authorities. He said that Akshay had been sending messages to his family claiming that he was being beaten in custody and asking for money.

The family further highlighted Akshay’s shy nature, noting that he was afraid of setting off fireworks and crossing roads, which makes the claim that he attacked policemen with a gun unlikely. Moreover, the charges against Akshay were not proven in court.

Postmortem & Research

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a high-level inquiry into the death of Akshay Shinde. His body has been shifted from Kalwa Civic Hospital to JJ Hospital in Mumbai for autopsy. The autopsy report will clarify the cause of death.

According to the police, 24-year-old Akshay Shinde was accused of sexually abusing two minor girls at a school in Badlapur town of Thane district. Akshay Shinde, a sweeper at the school in Badlapur, was arrested on August 17. Five days before his arrest, he allegedly abused two girls in the school toilet.

BJP targets opposition

The BJP has attacked the opposition over the encounter with the death of the Badlapur sexual assault accused and termed the opposition alliance a “Balatkari Bachao Alliance”. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that on one hand Maharashtra and Badlapur are breathing a sigh of relief while on the other hand the opposition parties are mourning the death of a rapist. Is this a ‘Balatkari Bachao Alliance’?