New Coinage: 'Save Rapist Alliance'

The BJP criticized the INDIA bloc, calling it the "Save Rapist Alliance" after opposition parties demanded a probe into the police encounter killing of Akshay Shinde accused of sexually assaulting two minor girls in Badlapur. Shinde was shot dead after allegedly snatching a policeman's gun and firing at officers. 

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla condemned the opposition for supporting the accused, questioning their stance on women's safety. He also accused the Mamata Banerjee government of protecting rape suspects in previous cases. Congress and other opposition leaders have expressed doubts about the encounter, with Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole and other leaders calling for a judicial inquiry. 

They questioned the circumstances of Shinde's death suggesting it might be an attempt to destroy evidence. Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray called the incident suspicious and demanded a neutral investigation. Shinde's family denied the police's claims stating he was unlikely to use a gun as he was afraid of firecrackers.