Maharashtra Government Criticized Over Encounter of Badlapur Assault Accused
Thane, Maharashtra – The opposition party, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), has criticized the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government following the encounter of the Badlapur sexual assault accused near Thane. The incident has raised questions about the justice system in the state.
Opposition Leaders Speak Out
NCP MP Supriya Sule expressed her shock over the government’s handling of the case, stating, “The Mahayuti government’s approach to the Badlapur sexual assault case of two minor girls is shocking! Delay in the filing of the FIR first, and now the prime accused is killed in custody! This is an absolute breakdown of law enforcement and the justice system. This is inexcusable. It deprives the people of Maharashtra of justice.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also criticized the government, calling it “incompetence” and noting that the co-accused are still on the run. She posted on X, “The accused is dead, and the other co-accused under POCSO who were the school board members as well as BJP office bearers are on the run. Such a textbook case of shoot and scoot tactics applied by an incompetent government.”
Calls for Investigation
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey called for the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter, citing many doubts about the incident. Maharashtra Assembly Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar demanded a judicial probe, while state Congress chief Nana Patole questioned whether the encounter was done to protect school trustees who have not been arrested.
NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar also raised suspicions, stating, “The injustice done to two children in Badlapur should have rightly resulted in the death penalty within the appropriate legal framework. However, the negligence shown by the Home Department while transferring the main accused in this case raises suspicions.”
Government’s Response
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defended the police action, explaining that the accused, Akshay Shinde, had snatched a police gun and fired at officers, leading to his death in retaliatory firing. Fadnavis stated, “The opposition raises questions on everything; the same opposition was asking to hang him. If he had attacked the police, wouldn’t the police do the self-defence? It’s wrong to create any issue out of it.”
According to Thane Police, Akshay Shinde was being taken from Taloja Jail to Badlapur when he snatched a weapon from a police official, opened fire, and was injured. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.
Background of the Case
The sexual assault case involved two fourth-grade girls at a school in Badlapur, which had sparked outrage. On August 17, police arrested a school attendant for allegedly abusing the girls. The state government had formed an SIT to investigate the case.
Doubts Revealed
Maharashtra Government -: Maharashtra is a state in India, and the government here refers to the people who run the state, like the Chief Minister and other officials.
Encounter -: An encounter is when the police have a confrontation with a criminal, which sometimes leads to the criminal being shot.
Badlapur -: Badlapur is a town in Maharashtra, India.
Assault Accused -: This means a person who is believed to have hurt someone else, in this case, in a bad way.
Opposition party -: This is a group of people in the government who do not agree with the people currently in power and often challenge their decisions.
Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) -: MVA is a political alliance in Maharashtra, made up of different parties like the NCP, Shiv Sena, and Congress.
Eknath Shinde -: Eknath Shinde is the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the person in charge of the state government.
NCP MP Supriya Sule -: Supriya Sule is a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is a political party in India.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi -: Priyanka Chaturvedi is a Member of Parliament from the Shiv Sena (UBT), a political party in Maharashtra.
Special Investigation Team (SIT) -: A Special Investigation Team is a group of police officers who are chosen to investigate a particular case very carefully.
Judicial probe -: A judicial probe is an investigation carried out by a judge to find out the truth about a case.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis -: Devendra Fadnavis is the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, which means he is the second-in-command in the state government.
