The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition has raised serious concerns over the recent death of Akshay S. Shinde, the prime suspect in the Badlapur rape case, which has sparked allegations of a "contract killing" by the Thane Police. Shinde's parents voiced their suspicions about the circumstances surrounding his death, demanding accountability from law enforcement. Key MVA figures, including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar, former Minister Anil Deshmukh, and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders such as Aditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut, have criticized the ruling MahaYuti government and are calling for an investigation by a retired High Court judge.
Pawar highlighted the negligence of the Home Department in transferring the main accused, emphasizing that the rights of the two minor girls in the Badlapur school case should have been upheld within the legal framework. "It seems the government has become weak in showing the threat of the laws so that nobody would dare think of such a reprehensible act in the future. We expect that the exact situation will come out after a thorough probe," he stated.
Aditya Thackeray expressed skepticism about the trustee of the Adarsh Vidya Prasarak Sanstha (AVPS) school, questioning why they appear to be protected by the MahaYuti government. He asked, "The citizens who joined the protest are being treated like gangsters; will the cases against them be withdrawn? They were raising their voice against the police refusal to file the complaint of the victims' parents a week after—who were the police protecting? It is said that the school is affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party; is it true? The government must answer."
Former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh questioned the circumstances of Shinde's death, asking, "How could the accused, with his hands tied, grab a pistol and start firing?" He also inquired about the status of the absconding ACPS trustees involved in the case. Raut pointed out that Shinde had been working as a toilet sweeper in the school since August 1 and questioned where he learned to operate a firearm and injure himself and a police officer during the encounter.
Priyanka Chaturvedi criticized the government's handling of the situation, suggesting that the narrative surrounding the case is misleading. "The accused is dead. The other co-accused who were school trustees and BJP workers are on the run. Such a textbook case of shoot-and-scoot tactics applied by an incompetent government. Coming soon: Nobody sexually assaulted the minor girls; a story written, sponsored, and executed by the state government," she quipped.
Shinde's parents, Anna and Alka, rejected the police's account of a "shootout inside the van" that resulted in their son's death. "This is a contract killing by the police… The government must take strong action against the perpetrators who killed our son," Alka Shinde lamented.
In response to the incident, the Thane Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case. The team began its work by inspecting the scene of the alleged encounter and the vehicle transporting Shinde from Taloja to Thane. Forensic evidence is being collected, and Shinde's body has been sent to J. J. Hospital in Mumbai for an autopsy, expected to occur on Tuesday before being returned to his family.
With IANS inputs
