Maharashrta Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday (September 25) defended the police in Badlapur sexual assault accused’s encounter saying that the officials were acting in self-defence and that they did not carry guns as a ‘showpiece’. He was speaking at Mumbai Conclave organised by India Today.

“The police shot in self-defence. They had guns not for showpiece. If he would have fled, the Opposition would have criticised and said that we made him flee. This is an unfortunate incident. The cops got injured in the encounter. We should support the police,”.

Akshay Shinde, the man accused of sexually assaulting four-year-old girls in a Badlapur school, was killed in a police encounter on Monday (September 23). As per police, when Shinde was being taken from Taloja jail to Badlapur, he snatched a gun from a police official and opened fire. Police say that Shinde was killed as the officials returned fire as self-defense.

There was immense public anger against Shinde after the sexual assault. Locals staged multiple rail-roko at Badlapur railway station in day following the sexual assault.

CM Shinde hinted that the accused had criminal tendencies.

“The woman had filed an FIR against him (Akshay Shinde). She gave a statement and said he was a monster. He had four wives. Imagine what cruelty he had meted out to them,” he said in the Mumbai conclave.

“When he had sexually assaulted those girls (in Badlapur) who are the same age as his daughters, imagine what they (victims) had gone through. This is an unfortunate incident,” he said.

Role of police questioned

Although nothing incriminating has been raised officially, the police officers involved in the encounter are facing allegations that they killed Akshay Shinde in a ‘staged’ encounter.

On Wednesday, Bombay High Court directed the state CID to look into the allegations after Shinde’s father approached the court. The court has ordered a probe into the encounter.

“The investigation has to be done fairly and impartially. If we find that this is not done then we would be constrained to pass appropriate orders,” a bench of Justices Revati Dere and Prithviraj Chavan said.

The court has directed that the forensic evidence be taken carefully. It has also said that ‘handwash’ of the police officials should be taken to see if there was any gunpowder residue.

Mumbai: To facilitate the construction of the 6th line between Goregaon and Kandivali stations, the Western Railway (WR) will carry a major block of 3.30 hours on UP & DOWN Fast line and 5th line from 00.15 am to 04.45 am during the intervening night of Wednesday, September 25 and Thursday, September 26.

During the block, all UP Fast line and 5th line trains will run on the UP Slow line between Borivali to Goregaon/Andheri. Due to this block, few suburban trains will be affected and will be cancelled/short terminated during the block period.

Check below the WR list of trains cancelled/short-terminated during the block.

The WR has requested passengers to take note of the change in trains arrangement due to the block and said that detailed information will be available with the concerned station masters.

During the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, i.e. on 24th/ 25th September also a block was undertaken by western railways to facilitate the construction of the 6th line between Goregaon and Kandivali stations.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil announced withdrawal of his hunger strike on Wednesday afternoon. Announcing the withdrawal he said to his followers that the courts have asked him to take care of his health. On the ninth day of his hunger strike, Jarange’s health was deteriorating.

Several ministers have visited the Maratha quota activist on his protest site in Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna in last eight days assuring him of implementing the Maratha reservation and urging the withdrawal his hunger strike. This was Jarange’s sixth hunger strike which started on September 17.

His main demand is the grant of the OBC quota to Marathas in government jobs and education.

Antarwali Sarathi has become the epicentre of the ongoing Maratha reservation movement. OBC activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare have also been staging a counter-protest at Wadigodri village, 2 km from Antarwali Sarathi, to oppose the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category.