Mumbai
Maharashtra Police Director General Rashmi Shukla has formed a new special investigation team (SIT) to probe the custodial death of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur school sexual assault case. This move follows a Supreme Court order. The SIT will be led by Additional Commissioner Datta Shinde, a deputy inspector general-rank officer familiar with the area, and includes senior police officers from the Mira-Bhayandar-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police.
The team has taken all case documents from the earlier Crime Investigation Department (CID) and started a fresh investigation. Akshay Shinde, accused of sexually assaulting two young girls, died in a police encounter on September 23, 2024, after allegedly snatching a policeman’s gun and firing. His family claimed the encounter was fake and approached the Bombay High Court. After the CID did not file charges against police, the court ordered a new SIT, and the Supreme Court directed the state DGP to form this team without registering a new FIR.