The Bombay High Court on Wednesday told the police that they must “clarify what exactly happened” during the Badlapur encounter. “It’s hard to believe. It takes strength to pull the slider. We are not creating doubt, but the police must clarify what exactly happened,” the court said after the public prosecutor, while giving a timeline of the events surrounding the Badlapur encounter, said that the deceased had taken out the service gun of an assistant police inspector.
Akshay Shinde, accused of sexually assaulting two toddlers in a Badlapur school, was shot dead by the police on Monday evening. While the police maintained that he was shot in self-defence, his family suspected foulplay and filed a petition in the HC seeking probe into his death.
The court also stated that when Akshay Shinde pulled the trigger for the first time, the four police personnel could have easily overpowered him as he was not a particularly strong man. This is difficult to accept and cannot be classified as an encounter.
While hearing the case, the HC on Wednesday questioned that despite four police officers being present, why could they not overpower “an untrained accused in the use of a firearm”. It also questioned why Akshay Shinde was shot in the head and not in the leg.
“You should have overpowered him. Instead, you shot him in the head,” the court told cops.
The court has asked for the handwash samples of all the officers involved and inquired whether they were taken. Additionally, the court requested details on whether Akshay Shinde was shot from a distance or at point-blank range. The court stated that it seeks an impartial investigation, emphasizing that while it does not doubt the involvement of the police, it wants to uncover the truth.
This is breaking story, more details awaited
