A man arrested for the sexual assault of two young girls at a school in Badlapur, Maharashtra, was shot by police on Monday after he seized an officer’s firearm and opened fire during his transport from jail. Two police officers were injured in the ensuing confrontation.

According to law enforcement officials, the suspect, Akshay Shinde, managed to take a weapon from an officer and fired at the police while being transported in a police vehicle. In retaliation, law enforcement returned fire at Shinde, who was being escorted from Taloja jail to Badlapur for further questioning, as reported by officials. The exchange of gunfire resulted in injuries to the officers involved whereas the accused has been declared dead

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He was arrested on August 17 for the sexual assault of two girls, aged four and five, in a school restroom five days earlier. This incident has sparked considerable public outrage and protests in the area. Shinde was employed as a cleaner at the school. Initially, the local police were handling the investigation; however, due to public concern over significant shortcomings in the inquiry, the Maharashtra government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Furthermore, a case has been initiated against the chairman and secretary of the school under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for their failure to report the incident to the authorities in a timely manner and for negligence. On Monday, both individuals applied for pre-arrest bail from the Bombay High Court.

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