'Police Guns Are Not Showpieces': CM Eknath Shinde Defends Accused Akshay's Encounter

Calling the Badlapur case an unfortunate incident, CM Eknath Shinde said that the accused sexually assaulted minors who were the same age as his daughters. 

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde addresses a public meeting in Pune.

Source : PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday responded to the opposition's allegations over the 'encounter' of the Badlapur sexual assault accused Akshay Shinde's saying "the police had guns not for showpiece."

Eknath Shinde hit out at the opposition for politicising the issue saying the officer shot him in self-defence. 

"The police shot in self-defence. They had guns not for showpiece. If he would have fled, the Opposition would have criticised and said that we made him flee. This is an unfortunate incident," Eknath Shinde said, according to India Today. 

He said that the people should support the police and added that a police personnel was injured in the cross-firing on Monday.

The Maharashtra CM also said that Akshay Shinde had four wives and one of them had filed a case of unnatural sex against him calling him a "monster".

"The woman had filed an FIR against him (Akshay Shinde). She gave a statement and said he was a monster. He had four wives. Imagine what cruelty he had meted out to them," Shinde reportedly said.

Vijay Wadettiwar, the leader of opposition in Maharashtra Assembly, raised suspicion about Akshay Shinde's encounter and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.

"There must be a judicial inquiry into this! Akshay Shinde's shooting is an attempt to destroy evidence?? How exactly did Akshay Shinde shoot? Were the accused Akshay's hands not tied when he was in police custody? How did he get the gun? How can the police be so careless?" Wadettiwar said.

Earlier today, hoardings congratulating Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have come up in multiple locations in Mumbai after Badlapur sexual assault accused Akshay Shinde was shot dead in police custody. The hoardings read --'Badla Pura'-- and showed the leader holding a gun.

Calling the Badlapur case an unfortunate incident, Shinde said that the accused sexually assaulted minors who were the same age as his daughters. 

"When he had sexually assaulted those girls (in Badlapur) who are the same age as his daughters, imagine what they (victims) had gone through. This is an unfortunate incident," he said.

The Thane police said that Akshay Shinde was being taken to Badlapur from Taloja jail in connection with a fresh case registered against him on the complaint of his former wife when the firing incident took place, which resulted in his death.

When the police vehicle, while returning, was at Mumbra Bypass between 6 pm and 6:15 pm, Shinde snatched the service revolver of API Nilesh More and fired three rounds at the police party. 

One of the bullets hit the lap of More and two others got fired elsewhere. In self-defence, another officer from the police party fired one round at the alleged accused, injuring him. Shinde was declared dead by the doctors at Kalwa civic hospital.

Responding immediately after the accident, Eknath Shinde said, "He (Akshay Shinde) was taken for investigation as his ex-wife has registered a case of sexual assault. He fired on a police personnel, Nilesh More who got injured and has been admitted to hospital. Police in self-defence took that action. More information will come out after investigation."