"Badla Pura": Posters Featuring Fadnavis Appear After Badlapur Assault Accused Shot Dead

Mumbai: Two days after the accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case was shot dead following an alleged attempt to seize a police officer’s gun, hoardings lauding Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have surfaced across the city. The hoardings feature the phrase "Badla Pura" (which translates to "revenge complete") alongside an image of Fadnavis holding a firearm. Notably, these hoardings do not bear any organizational logos or political affiliations.

Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court said the probe into the killing of Badlapur sexual assault case accused Akshay Shinde in a shoot-out should be carried out in a fair and impartial manner. The shoot-out could have been avoided if the police had tried to overpower Shinde first, the HC said, adding it was very hard to believe that he managed to seize a pistol from a police officer and open fire.

Why was the accused shot in the head, and not in the hand or legs first? the court asked. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan said if it finds that the probe is not being done properly, then it would be constrained to pass appropriate orders.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on October 3, by when the police would have to take a decision on the complaint submitted by Shinde's father, seeking an FIR against the police officers concerned. The court was hearing a petition filed by the father of Akshay Shinde, who was killed in a shoot-out by the police on September 24, seeking a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the "fake encounter".

For the unversed, Shinde, 24, was accused of sexually assaulting two minor girls at a school in Badlapur town of Maharashtra 's Thane district.

He was being taken to Badlapur from Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai on Monday evening in connection with an FIR registered against him on the complaint of his former wife when the firing incident took place, which resulted in his death, police earlier said.

Akshay Shinde was killed near Mumbra bypass in Thane when he allegedly snatched the gun of a policeman while he was being ferried in a police vehicle as part of a probe into a case, as per police.

After he shot and injured an API, another officer from the police escort team fired at him, and he was declared dead by doctors at the Kalwa Civic Hospital, the police had claimed.

The government on Tuesday said the state CID will conduct a probe into the death of Akshay Shinde.