Badlapur Rape
Mumbai: The 23-year-old man accused of raping two nursery school girls in Badlapur, Maharashtra was shot dead by cops after he snatched a constable’s gun and fired at a police officer, the police have said. Assistant Police Inspector Nilesh More was injured in the firing. Senior inspector Sanjay Shinde fired the final shot that took down Akshay. He died at the hospital.
Mr Shinde was part of a team led by Pradeep Sharma, the famed ‘encounter specialist’ who has featured in the Netflix docuseries ‘Mumbai Mafia: Police vs The Underworld’. He was part of the famed cop’s team when he headed the anti-extortion cell of the Thane Crime Branch, said sources.
This team had arrested underworld don Dawood’s brother Iqbal Kaskar from Thane in an extortion case in 2017.
Mr Sharma was also the subject of a 2014 Marathi crime thriller named Rege. Veteran actor Mahesh Manjrekar had played Sharma’s role in the movie. Author and journalist S Hussain Zaidi’s ‘The Class of 83’ also delves into the encounters by Pradeep Sharma and other officers.
He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Bombay High Court earlier this year over the fake encounter of Ramnarayan Gupta, an alleged close aide of gangster Chhota Rajan in 2006.
Sanjay Shinde, who has previously served in the Mumbai Police, is now part of the Special Investigation Team that was formed by the state government to probe the Badlapur rape case.
He has earlier faced inquiry after Vijay Palande, an accused in two murder cases, fled police custody in 2012. His uniform was found in the SUV in which Palande had allegedly escaped. Another inquiry was opened against him when he exchanged fire with another cop after getting drunk at a bar, reports suggest.
In 2000, he came under the scanner in a kidnapping case, which was cracked after a senior official interrogated Mr Shinde, it was reported in 2012.
Badlapur Rape Accused Shooting
Akshay Shinde was arrested in August, five days after the children reported the assault to their parents. His shooting occurred yesterday when officers from Badlapur had gone to Taloja jail to take custody Akshay in a new rape and assault case filed by his first wife.
When the police team carrying Akshay neared the Mumbra bypass, he snatched the gun of a constable and fired at the cops escorting him. In retaliation, Sanjay Shinde fired at him. Akshay was critically injured in the firing and died at the hospital.
Constable Nilesh More, who also suffered injuries, is undergoing treatment.
The opposition, meanwhile, questioned how a handcuffed man could snatch a gun and alleged that the rape accused’s death could have been an “encounter”.
The Maharashtra government has formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter.
Sanjay Shinde, a former officer who was part of an elite police team led by Pradeep Sharma, has drawn renewed attention in recent times. Pradeep Sharma, known as one of Mumbai’s most infamous “encounter specialists,” is widely recognized for his role in taking on the underworld during the 1990s and early 2000s, a time when organized crime was rampant in Mumbai. The Netflix docuseries *Mumbai Mafia: Police vs The Underworld* has shone a spotlight on Sharma’s career, bringing figures like Sanjay Shinde, who worked closely with Sharma, back into public focus.
The Rise of Encounter Specialists
During the late 1980s and 1990s, Mumbai saw a surge in organized crime, with gangsters like Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Rajan, and Arun Gawli terrorizing the city. Extortion, smuggling, and targeted killings became rampant, and law enforcement struggled to maintain order. In response to this escalating crime wave, the Mumbai Police formed specialized units to combat organized crime more aggressively. These officers came to be known as “encounter specialists.”
An encounter specialist was a term given to police officers who were known for their role in shootouts with criminals. These encounters, often resulting in the death of alleged gangsters, were highly controversial. While these officers were celebrated as heroes by some for ridding the streets of dangerous criminals, others raised concerns about extrajudicial killings and human rights violations.
Sanjay Shinde and His Role
Sanjay Shinde was one of the officers who worked alongside Pradeep Sharma, contributing to the many “encounters” that defined that era of Mumbai policing. While Sharma took the spotlight as a public figure and a legend within law enforcement, officers like Shinde played crucial roles behind the scenes, working day and night to identify and neutralize criminal threats.
Shinde was known for his dedication to the job, often working in extremely dangerous circumstances. As a member of the encounter squad, he faced tremendous risks. Gangsters were known to retaliate against police officers who targeted their operations, and officers in the encounter squads often had bounties placed on their heads.
Shinde, like Sharma, became part of the inner circle of Mumbai Police’s battle against organized crime. Their methods, while effective in many respects, were often questioned. Human rights organizations criticized the Mumbai Police for encouraging a culture of impunity, where officers could kill suspects without facing legal consequences. Shinde and his colleagues, however, argued that they were dealing with hardened criminals who posed immediate threats to public safety.
Pradeep Sharma and Media Attention
Pradeep Sharma, who led the team that included Sanjay Shinde, became one of the most famous faces of Mumbai’s war on crime. With over 100 alleged encounter killings to his name, Sharma’s reputation grew, and he became a symbol of the fight against the underworld. His notoriety even led to his portrayal in popular media, culminating in his appearance in the Netflix docuseries *Mumbai Mafia: Police vs The Underworld*.
The docuseries sheds light on Sharma’s career and the broader context of Mumbai’s underworld battles. It portrays a time when the lines between justice and extrajudicial actions were blurred, and the public often viewed officers like Sharma as vigilantes who brought order to the chaos. The show highlights how these officers, including Shinde, became both feared and respected.
Controversies and Criticism
Despite their contributions to curbing crime, both Pradeep Sharma and his team, including Sanjay Shinde, were not without controversy. Sharma himself faced multiple inquiries and was even arrested in connection with certain cases. Allegations of staged encounters, where innocent people were killed under the guise of self-defense, haunted the Mumbai Police’s encounter specialists.
Sanjay Shinde, though not as high-profile as Sharma, was part of this controversial policing style. The encounter killings, while effective in dismantling much of the organized crime network, drew ire from civil rights groups who accused the police of becoming judge, jury, and executioner.
Legacy of the Encounter Specialists
The work of officers like Sanjay Shinde and Pradeep Sharma has left an indelible mark on Mumbai’s history. Today, the role of encounter specialists remains a contentious issue. Some hail these officers as heroes who cleaned up Mumbai’s streets and restored order during a particularly violent era. Others, however, view them as agents of an extrajudicial justice system that operated outside the boundaries of the law.
Sanjay Shinde’s contributions to the police force, while often overshadowed by Sharma’s larger-than-life persona, were critical to the operations of the encounter squad. His work during that period remains a subject of interest, especially as the Netflix docuseries continues to revive discussions about the ethics of encounter policing.
In the end, the story of Sanjay Shinde, Pradeep Sharma, and the other officers of the encounter era is one that forces us to grapple with difficult questions about justice, law enforcement, and the fine line between maintaining order and upholding the law.
