Mumbai: Relatives of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur school sexual assault case who was killed in retaliatory firing by the police on Monday, initially refused to collect his body but later agreed to do so on Tuesday.
According to the deceased's uncle, family members were expected to reach the city by Tuesday night and they planned to perform the last rites on Wednesday, as reported by Times of India. Given the public anger surrounding the case, local Badlapur police inspected two cremation grounds to ensure the funeral could be conducted under police protection.
Akshay Shinde's Family Questions Circumstances Around Death
Meanwhile, Akshay's father, Anna Shinde, voiced his concerns about the alleged shootout that led to his son's death. Speaking to PTI, he questioned the police's account, which claimed that Akshay snatched a policeman's gun and fired at officers, prompting the police to retaliate. Anna expressed disbelief, stating, "My son was scared of bursting crackers. How could he snatch a pistol from a police officer and open fire?"
He emphasized that a charge sheet had already been filed in the sexual assault case and Akshay should have been tried in court rather than being killed in an encounter. "The family would have accepted the verdict delivered by the court after a trial, but we are poor people; we don't have a voice," Anna said, suggesting that the police may have had other motives for his son's death that were not disclosed.
Post-Mortem Performed At JJ Hospital
Despite their frustrations and doubts about the circumstances of the encounter, the family decided to proceed with collecting Akshay's body for the last rites. After a post-mortem examination at the state-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai, the body was transferred to a civic-run hospital in Kalwa of Thane district, to be prepared for the funeral.
