Clash with accused in Badlapur | 'How can a handcuffed man…': Opposition questions police version | Latest news from India

Shinde, 24, who was arrested for sexually abusing two minor girls in a school in Badlapur, was shot dead by police on Monday night after he allegedly snatched a pistol from policemen and fired at them. The incident occurred when he was being transported in a police vehicle as part of the investigation into a case filed against him by his ex-wife.

A team of CID officials will visit the spot on Mumbra Bypass where the incident took place and record the statements of the police officials.

Jitendra Awhad, NCP (SP) MP for Kalwa-Mumbra, described the police version as “baseless”.

“How can a handcuffed defendant snatch a policeman's gun and shoot him when there are five other policemen nearby,” he said.

Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh questioned how a man in handcuffs was able to snatch a gun and fire at the police. He also said that the school belonged to a BJP leader.

“If both Akshay Shinde's hands were tied, how could he fire the shot? The school in question belongs to a BJP leader. There were attempts to suppress this incident from the beginning and the matter was settled through the altercation. This incident should be investigated by a retired Supreme Court judge,” Deshmukh told India Today.

Family expresses doubts

The man’s family members also expressed doubts about the encounter.

“It is wrong to say that he first snatched the gun from a policeman and shot at him, and later the police shot him in self-defense,” Shinde's mother and uncle told reporters on Monday evening.

They claimed that the police forced him to sign a “confession.”

The parents also claimed that Akshay told them that he was beaten by the police while in custody.

Akshay's mother claimed that her son was “afraid of setting off firecrackers and crossing the road. How can he shoot at policemen?”

With contributions from PTI