MUMBAI: Accused Akshay Shinde, the prime suspect in the sexual assault of minor girls at a local school in Badlapur near Thane, was shot dead by police during a confrontation and retaliatory firing by the police in self-defence.

The incident unfolded as Shinde was being escorted by officers from Taloja jail to Badlapur on Monday, during which Shinde managed to snatch a gun from an escorting constable and opened fire on the police escort team when they reached Badlapur bypass reportedly at about 6 pm. 

In response to the immediate threat, an assistant police inspector was targeted, prompting a swift retaliatory action from another officer in which Shinde was critically injured.

According to police officials, after the exchange of gunfire, Shinde was immediately rushed to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, in Kalwa where he succumbed to his injuries, while the assistant police inspector injured in the firing by Shinde, is undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Shinde's parents told the new channels that they had met him in Taloja jail at 3:30 pm as per a routine meeting during which he complained that inmates were beating him but he was looking fine, they also claimed to have received information about his death through TV channels and not from the police. 

Enraged over the alleged sexual abuse of two minor girls, a huge protest erupted in Badlapur, which turned violent as the angry agitators vandalized the school on August 20. As the protests spread, the crowds stopped local trains at Badlapur and indulged in stone-pelting at the local railway station.

The accused Shinde, who was the school's sweeper, was arrested, and the Maharashtra government has also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to ensure a thorough inquiry into the case led by senior IPS officer Arti Singh to ensure a thorough inquiry into the case.