Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke on the death of the accused in the Badlapur sex assault case and said that police will have to open fire if someone attacks them. He stressed that the accused, Akshay Shinde, was shot in self-defence.
Fadnavis said the police "will not clap" if attacked, even as he underscored that he doesn't support "encounters". Speaking at India Today's Mumbai Conclave, Fadnavis said the glorification of such incidents should not happen, and a fair investigation would be conducted.
"We do not believe in encounters and I personally believe that the rule of law must be followed and, accordingly, the criminal must be punished and that must be done quickly. Our police will not clap if attacked, and they shot at the accused in self-defence," Fadnavis said.
Akshay Shinde (24) was accused of sexually assaulting two minor girls at a school in Badlapur where he worked as a sweeper. Police have said he was being taken from Taloja Jail to Badlapur on Monday when he snatched a policeman's pistol and opened fire. An assistant inspector was injured and Shinde was killed in retaliatory firing, police have said.
Fadnavis said that details of how the accused snatched the gun from cops and attacked them will be revealed in investigation. The Opposition has been attacking the Maharashtra government over the incident and even questioned as to why he was shot at by the Maharashtra police.
"When someone stands in front of you with a gun, you do not have the time to decide where to shoot him," he said.
Hoarding With Fadnavis Photo Appear
A day later, hoardings congratulating Fadnavis sprang up in various locations in Mumbai. The hoardings showed Fadnavis holding a gun with the text — Badla Pura (revenge complete), a wordplay on Badlapur.
When asked about it, Fadnavis said he doesn't support such hoardings and the euphoria following the shooting of the accused.
"Putting up such hoardings is absolutely wrong. This should not happen at all. I believe that this glorification of such an incident should not happen," the former Chief Minister said, underscoring that the state CID would conduct a fair probe into the incident.
Notably, Akshay Shinde was hired by a government school in Badlapur to clean the toilets. He was accused of sexually assaulting two minor girls in the washroom of the school, a case which sparked widespread protests across the state. The alleged assaults took place on August 12 and Shinde was arrested by the police on August 17.