Just two days after the suspect in the Badlapur sex assault case was shot dead after allegedly seizing a police officer’s firearm, hoardings congratulating Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have appeared across various locations in Mumbai. These posters feature a clever play on words—”Badla Pura” (revenge complete)—and depict Fadnavis holding a gun, but do not indicate any sponsoring organization.
The ruling parties have intensified their political messaging following the suspect’s death. The BJP has released posters asserting that during the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress regime in Maharashtra, police were only involved in extortion, whereas now they prioritize public safety. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has also placed newspaper ads portraying the Chief Minister as “Dharamvir” and accusing opponents of exploiting a sensitive issue like rape for political gain, with the ads featuring a police officer’s cap.
The Badlapur sex assault case and the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s death have emerged as critical talking points ahead of the upcoming state elections in Maharashtra. The ruling coalition of BJP, Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, having faced a setback in the recent Lok Sabha elections, aims to leverage this incident to regain momentum. The opposition had previously criticized the government regarding the state’s law and order situation, but with the recent developments, the ruling coalition seeks to shift the narrative. They have condemned the opposition bloc, Maha Vikas Aghadi, for questioning the suspect’s death in custody and suggesting it was orchestrated to protect the true perpetrator of the assault.
Akshay Shinde, 24, was accused of sexually assaulting two minor girls at a school in Badlapur where he worked as a sweeper. According to police reports, while being transported from Taloja Jail to Badlapur on Monday, he allegedly seized a policeman’s firearm and opened fire, resulting in injuries to an assistant inspector and Shinde’s death during the police’s retaliatory firing.
Shinde’s father, Anna Shinde, has approached the Bombay High Court, alleging that his son was killed in a “fake encounter.” The family contends that the shooting was part of a conspiracy involving both the police and the school’s administration. “We want justice. The family would have accepted a court verdict after a trial, but we are poor people; we don’t have a voice,” Anna Shinde told.
The opposition has also raised doubts about the police’s account. Sanjay Raut, a leader from Shiv Sena (UBT), expressed skepticism about the police’s version of events but stated there was no need to sympathize with Shinde. “This murder or encounter was done to protect the main accused. How plausible is it that a school janitor could snatch a gun from a policeman and fire a locked weapon? This is a fundamental question,” he asserted. NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule questioned how a handcuffed suspect could disarm a policeman in a moving vehicle. “A policeman was shot. Even the police aren’t safe in Maharashtra. If there is CCTV footage of the incident, it should be made public,” she stated.