In a significant move, the Bombay High Court on Monday directed the establishment of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the controversial death of 24-year-old Akshay Shinde, who was fatally shot by Thane Police last year. The court’s decision comes amid serious allegations against the police concerning the handling of Shinde’s arrest and subsequent death.
Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Neela Gokhale presided over the case, mandating that the SIT be supervised by Mumbai Police Crime Branch Joint Commissioner Lakhmi Gautam. Gautam is also responsible for selecting a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) to lead the investigative team, alongside other appointed officers.
The case traces back to an incident where Shinde, a school cleaner, was accused of sexually assaulting two young girls at a pre-primary school in Badlapur East. Following his arrest on August 16, Shinde was killed on September 23 while being transported from Taloja Jail to Thane for a hearing regarding a separate complaint by his estranged wife.
According to police reports, during the transit, Shinde allegedly managed to disarm an officer and fired three shots, one of which wounded an officer. In response, another officer shot Shinde in the head, resulting in his immediate death. However, this account was challenged by a judicial magistrate’s report, which criticized the police for excessive use of force and suggested that the officers involved were culpable for Shinde’s death.
The Maharashtra government initially resisted calls to file a First Information Report (FIR) against the officers, stating there was no basis for such action. However, the judicial inquiry into the matter painted a different picture, prompting Senior Advocate Manjula Rao, acting as amicus curiae, to argue for the necessity of an FIR based on the findings and multiple complaints filed by Shinde’s father to various police authorities.
