Court supports family’s burial decision; police ordered to ensure security and peaceful rites
Parents of Akshay Shinde, outside the Kalwa Hospital where his body was brought on September 24. File Pic/PTI
The family of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the sexual assault case involving two minor schoolgirls, has approached the Bombay High Court after struggling to find a place to bury him following his death in an alleged police encounter earlier this week. Shinde was killed by the Thane Crime Branch on Monday, reportedly in self-defence, near the Mumbra bypass.
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Akshay’s father, Anna Shinde, approached the high court, claiming difficulties in securing a burial spot owing to local resistance. The family’s lawyer, Amit Katarnaware, said it was Akshay Shinde’s last wish to be buried as his grandfather was also buried and the family has the custom of burial.
Despite being assured by the government that a proper burial place would be provided, the family has faced delays and a lack of cooperation from local authorities. Katarnaware reported the situation to the court, stating that wherever the family went, crowds gathered, further complicating their efforts. During the hearing, the public prosecutor argued that burial was not a customary practice in the Shinde family’s community, and questioned the family’s insistence on burial over cremation. However, the court dismissed the prosecution’s argument, ruling that the decision on burial or cremation rested solely with Akshay’s parents.
The court also emphasised that while the police were responsible for facilitating the burial, the prosecution lawyer said the family should peacefully conduct the last rites and avoid turning it into a public event. The state government assured the court that safety measures for the family, and their lawyers, would be enforced, with police overseeing the burial process, as the family has claimed threat. The court, meanwhile, postponed the hearing on Anna Shinde’s petition, to Monday.
Earlier, the court had raised concerns regarding the sequence of events leading to the encounter and had directed the police to provide clarifications. The case is now under investigation by the state CID.
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