Badlapur sexual assault case accused Akshay Shinde’s body buried
Residents of Shanti Nagar protest in hundreds against having his dead body buried in their community
THANE: The body of Akshay Shinde (24), who was arrested on August 16 for allegedly raping two four-year-old girls in a pre-primary school in Badlapur East and was later killed in an alleged police encounter on Monday, was finally buried on Sunday evening.
After a week of hunting for a burial location, the police selected the Shanti Nagar crematorium in Ulhasnagar. However, several political leaders opposed the burial, leading to the police detaining protesters at the site. The accused was a contractual sweeper at the Badlapur school.
Following a Bombay high court order, Shinde was buried at the Camp 3 cemetery on Sunday by 6 pm. Members of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and hundreds of citizens strongly protested, leading to tension at the cemetery. To prevent disturbances, a heavy police presence had been deployed.
Shinde’s family members were visibly distraught at the scene, unable to contain their emotions. They were provided protection until they left the area. “We have a tradition of either burying or cremating the dead in our family, and we chose the burial process,” said a family member, adding that he never imagined that such a day would come.
Additional commissioner of police Sanjay Shinde said that the family had submitted an application, requesting assistance with Akshay’s burial. “We facilitated the process,” he said. However, some protestors are still threatening to remove the body and throw it in a nearby nullah.
Rajendra Choudhary and Bala Shrikhande, local leaders of the Shinde Sena, had taken a confrontational stand against the burial. Under their leadership, activists filled up the grave that was dug for the burial, forcing the administration to postpone the burial process. Shinde faction members raised slogans like, “The brutal actions of Akshay Shinde have hurt the sentiments of the citizens of Ulhasnagar. Such a person should not be buried in this city.”
Around 1.30 pm today, the freshly dug grave was once more filled up by locals, after which the police detained a few people. A large number of citizens too had gathered at the cemetery to voice their opposition. Hundreds of them chanted slogans like, “There is no place in our city for the burial of Akshay Shinde, who committed heinous acts.”
Sharmila Kumar, a resident of Shanti Nagar, voiced her objections to Shinde’s burial. “Why should we allow a criminal to be buried in our community?” she demanded. “If people from his birthplace in Badlapur are refusing to accept him, why should we? He is undeserving of a final ritual.”
Another resident, Jamil Shaikh, expressed his concerns, stating, “Even if he deserves last rites, why must it happen here? Why do they want to ruin our soil?”
In light of the tense situation, the administration tightened security at the cemetery. A significant number of police officers were deployed and measures were taken to prevent any untoward incidents. The last burial procedure was done by the family at around 6 pm.