NEW DELHI: The father of Badlapur sexual assault case accused has written a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday, seeking police protection for himself and his family.
He alleged that they have been receiving threats following the death of his son, Akshay Shinde, who was shot dead on September 23.
In his letter, Anna Shinde claimed that his son was killed as part of a conspiracy for political gains. He also mentioned that his lawyer, Amit Katarnavre, and Katarnavre’s family, have been receiving similar threats. “In view of the threats, all of us should be given police protection,” Anna Shinde wrote.
Akshay Shinde, 24, had been arrested last month for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls in a school in Badlapur, Thane district. He was shot dead after reportedly grabbing a gun from an Assistant Police Inspector (API) and firing it while being transported in a police vehicle as part of an investigation based on a complaint from his former wife.
Anna Shinde has filed a petition in the Bombay high court, claiming his son was killed in a fake encounter, and requested a court-monitored investigation into the death.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Kisan Kathore voiced opposition to Akshay Shinde’s burial in Badlapur and said, “People of Badlapur are good citizens and do not want this stigma attached to them. Our residents have no intention of allowing his burial here. Whatever has happened has happened, it should not define us.” Kathore represents the Murbad constituency in Thane district.