Why couldn't he be overpowered? There were four cops in the van along with Akshay Shinde and he wasn't the most powerful among the four. Besides, it is not clear whether Akshay was in handcuffs? The Thane Police says Akshay snatched one of the cops' pistol and fired leading to retaliatory firing and Akshay's death.

But why shoot him in the head? One account says Akshay Shinde died of a bullet that pierced the thigh. Another says he was shot in the temple an the bullet went through the head and exited. So, was he killed by the thigh wound or was he killed by the bullet that pierced his head? Again, there's confusion.

Who is lying? The police inspector, encounter specialist Sanjay Shinde, who shot and killed Akshay Shinde has a trigger-happy reputation. Was Akshay Shinde set up for the kill? What was an encounter-specialist doing in the prison van escorting a prisoner to a hospital?

There are no answers. The trigger-happy encounter specialist Sanjay Shinde used to be partners with Pradeep Sharma, the biggest of the gang of encounter specialists in Mumbai Police and on whom a movie was made. These were police who kept count of their kills!

Akshay Shinde, for all his sexual perversions, stepped into a coffin when he was made to board the prison/police van. Now that Akshay Shinde is dead — killed under highly suspicious circumstances — his parents can deflect and ask for a reckoning.

Akshay Shinde's despicable acts are no longer the focus. The Modus Operandi of his killing has taken centre-state. Why was he killed? Was it cold-blooded homicide, premeditated murder? Akshay Shinde's parents have a purpose in life now, a much-needed diversion.

On September 26, the Bombay High Court questioned the Thane police's account of Akshay Shinde's death. The high court asked for an impartial probe into the encounter killing.

The Bombay High Court raised serious doubts on the Thane police’s account; that Akshay Shinde snatched a policeman’s pistol and opened fire. It was clear the court did not believe the Thane Police and that must be an "impartial and thorough" probe into Akshay Shinde's killing.

“This is hard to believe. Prima facie, this cannot be trusted. A layman cannot fire a pistol unlike a revolver which any Tom, Dick and Harry can use,” said the division bench of the Bombay High Court. Akshay's father Anna Shinde had sought a court-monitored probe by a special investigation team (SIT).

The Bombay High Court also wondered why four police officers of huge built could not overpower Akshay? The court found it very difficult to accept. This cannot be termed as an encounter. Why did police inspector Sanjay Shinde fire at Shinde’s head and not at his legs, especially when he claimed to have fired in self-defense. How is it that a trained officer did not know where to fire the bullet? Four officers couldn’t overpower the relatively weak Akshay Shinde, how?

For the Thane Police's misfortune, one of the judges had fired a gun and he couldn't believe a "weak person" like Akshay Shinde could have snatched and fired a pistol at the spur of the moment. The judge said h eknew this because he had used a pistol "100 times".

Thane police claimed Shinde snatched the service pistol of assistant police inspector Nilesh More and fired three rounds, one of which hit More on his thigh. The police claimed Inspector Sanjay Shinde fired a round which hit Akshay on his temple and pierced through his head.

The police version is riddled with holes, hard to believe and harder to establish. Akshay's body had multiple abrasions. He was shot point-blank. The police are in the dock. To the court, the "encounter did not look like an encounter”. Akshay Shinde was declared brought dead at Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital.

There are many lacunae, however, like forensic experts could not pick up fingerprints from the snatched pistol. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde defended the police, saying Akshay Shinde was killed in self-defense. The Opposition says the CM is shielding the school management.

Adding to the suspicions is the fact that an hour before Akshay was taken into Thane police custody, Akshay's father Anna Shinde and his wife had met Akshay at Taloja jail and Akshay had asked them to send him money to buy food.

This isn't how a violent prisoner behaves. Now, as an ultimate indictment, Akshay Shinde's parents cannot secure a hole in the ground to bury their slain son in. It is like there is no reprieve for Akshay Shinde. Akshay Shinde s/o Anna Shinde is a pariah even in the after-life. (IPA Service)