‘Badla Pura’: Gun-Toting Devendra Fadnavis Features On Posters Following Death Of Badlapur Sexual Assault Accused

By OB Bureau On Sep 25, 2024

New Delhi: Posters featuring Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis holding a gun emerged in Mumbai and surrounding cities on Wednesday (September 25), two days after the death of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur school sexual assault case. The posters read ‘Badla Pura’ (The revenge is complete). Fadnavis can be seen brandishing a pistol as well as a rifle in what is most likely to be doctored images on these posters.

The posters looked like apparent attempts to link and credit the deputy CM for the death of the accused in a police encounter. There was immense public anger against Shinde, who was accused of sexually assaulting two four-year-old girls in the toilet of a school in Badlapur, The Free Press Journal reported.

Although Fadnavis was active on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, there was no immediate comment from him about the posters in the city. The police are being accused of having meted out ‘quick justice’ through what is being accused as having been a staged encounter.

As per the police version, Shinde was being transported from Taloja Jail to Badlapur when he snatched a police officer’s gun and opened fire. Police say that Shinde died even as officers retaliated in self-defence and shot him. A police officer, Sanjay Shinde was injured due to bullets fired by the accused, say the police. The accused was killed near Mumbra bypass.