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‘Akshay Shinde became aggressive…I had no option but to open fire’: Inspector who shot Badlapur case accused
Akshay Shinde was killed in alleged retaliatory firing by the police on Monday evening.
A day after the Badlapur sexual assault case accused, Akshay Shinde, was killed in alleged retaliatory firing by the police, the officer who fired the shot, maintained he did so in ‘self-defence,’ adding that the former was behaving ‘aggressively’ while being moved from Navi Mumbai's Taloja jail to Thane.
“I was sitting next to the driver while the accused and several constables, including Assistant Police Inspector (API), Nilesh More, were with the accused in the back. During the journey along Shilphata Road, API More informed me that Akshay had become aggressive,” Inspector Sanjay Shinde told India Today on Tuesday.
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“Akshay Shinde asked policemen accompanying him, 'Why are you taking me again? What have I done now?' He was abusing them and warned he will not leave anyone alive," the officer said.
Further, Inspector Shinde stated he stopped the vehicle and attempted to calm the accused. However, he added, the situation escalated around 6:15pm at the Mumbra bypass.
“Akshay Shinde grabbed API More's pistol, and during the struggle, the weapon discharged, injuring More in his thigh. He collapsed due to the injury,” the Inspector recalled.
“Akshay then fired two more rounds at me and the other officers but missed both times. Fearing for my life and the safety of my colleagues, I fired a single shot and incapacitated him. Akshay collapsed inside the van and we regained control,” the officer said.
In all, the deceased fired three shots – the one that injured the ASI and the two missed ones – and Sanjay Shinde, the fourth and final one. Akshay was rushed to a hospital, which declared him brought dead.
The shell casings have been recovered by by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and police teams investigating the incident.
