GUWAHATI: In an incident eerily similar to a few in Assam, the man accused of raping two nursery school girls at Badlapur, near Mumbai, died on Monday, September 23 evening after being shot at by a police officer inside a police vehicle that was ferrying him.
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According to reports quoting police, Akshay Shinde, 23, had snatched the gun of a constable and opened fire, injuring him prompting the police officer to fire in retaliation.
The Maharashtra government has formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter after the Opposition described the incident as a case of encounter.
The police said officers from Badlapur had gone to Taloja jail to take custody of Shinde since they wanted to question him in connection with a new case filed by his first wife. The woman, who left him five days after their wedding, has accused him of rape and assault.
When the police team reached near the Mumbra bypass, around 6.30 PM, Shinde snatched the gun of a constable and fired several rounds, injuring him. In retaliation, another officer shot Shinde, leaving him critically injured. He was taken to the hospital where he died. The constable, Nilesh More, who was also injured, is under treatment at a hospital.
The killing has sparked a controversy ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra, with the opposition questioning how a handcuffed man could snatch a gun, and alleged that it could have been an "encounter".
Leader of Opposition in the assembly Vijay Wadettiwar questioned if it was an attempt to "destroy evidence".
“Were Akshay Shinde's hands not tied by the police during the transit? How could he reach for the gun, and how come the police were so careless?" he said. There is no action against the "BJP-linked" school management but an arrested accused is shot dead in suspicious circumstances, he said.
Similar questions have been raised in Assam when some accused who, despite being in handcuffs, had allegedly tried to escape after snatching guns of policemen only to be shot at.
The Supreme Court is hearing a petition alleging fake encounters or custodial deaths in Assam, and had recently said that it intends to constitute a commission to probe the incidents.
It also has said that such incidents do not align with the rule of law.
