In Badlapur sexual assault case, Akshay Shinde's body was buried

After a week of searching for a burial site, police chose Shanti Nagar crematorium in Ulhasnagar. However, several political leaders opposed the funeral, leading to police arresting protesters at the site. The accused was a contract sweeper at the school in Badlapur.

Following an order of the Bombay High Court, Shinde was buried at the Camp 3 cemetery on Sunday at 6 pm. Members of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and hundreds of citizens protested violently, leading to tension at the graveyard. A heavy police presence was deployed to prevent unrest.

Shinde's family members were visibly distraught at the crime scene and could not contain their emotions. They were given protection until they left the area. “We have a tradition in our family of either burying or cremating the dead and we chose the burial process,” a family member said, adding that he never thought such a day would come.

Additional Commissioner of Police Sanjay Shinde said the family had filed an application seeking assistance in Akshay's funeral. “We made the process easier,” he said. However, some protesters still threaten to remove the body and throw it into a nearby nullah.

Rajendra Choudhary and Bala Shrikhande, local leaders of the Shinde Sena, had taken a confrontational stance against the funeral. Under her leadership, activists filled the grave dug for burial and forced the administration to postpone the burial process. Members of the Shinde faction raised slogans like, “Akshay Shinde's brutal actions have hurt the sentiments of the citizens of Ulhasnagar. Such a person should not be buried in this city.”

Today around 1.30 p.m. the freshly dug grave was filled in again by locals, after which the police arrested a few people. Numerous citizens also gathered at the cemetery to express their resistance. 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, expressed 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 refuse to accept him, then why should we? He doesn’t deserve a final ritual.”

Another resident, Jamil Shaikh, expressed concern and said, “Even if he deserves last rites, why does this have to happen here? Why do they want to ruin our soil?”

In view 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 incident. The last funeral was conducted by the family at around 6 p.m.