Some hail Hyderabad encounter, others question its authenticity

rchopra@tribunemail.com

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, December 6

The killing of the four accused in the rape and murder case of the Hyderabad vet in an encounter on Friday morning has received mixed reactions.

People distributed sweets and showered flower petals at the site of the encounter hailing the action of Telangana Police of shooting dead the gang-rape accused.

Tripti Desai of the Bhumata Brigade welcomed the encounter and justified the decision to shoot dead the accused while they tried to run away.

She had sat on a dharna outside the house of the Chief Minister and was detained for raising anti-police slogans. She now said that she was satisfied with the action and justice to the victim.

At the same time, there is speculation on the authenticity of the encounter. Many people on social media doubted the veracity of the encounter. 

NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said though the women rights body wanted death penalty for the accused, it should have come through proper judicial channel.

“We wanted death penalty but it should have been through judicial channel. I do not know under what circumstances they were shot and this has to come out after the inquiry. So only the police can tell the truth or after the inquiry it would come out,” the National Commission for Women chief said.

Meanwhile, several rights activists said the police could not act like a lynch mob under any circumstance.

The encounter is an attempt by authorities to distract people from the government’s failures to safeguard women’s rights, the activists said.

According to Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association, this is not justice but a “ploy” to shut down demands for accountability from the police, judiciary, governments, and justice and dignity for women.

“Instead of being accountable to his job and answering our questions about his government’s failures to safeguard women’s rights, the Telangana CM and his police have acted as leaders of a lynch mob,” she said.

She described the incident as the admittance of utter incompetence on the part of the entire political and police system and accused Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao of deflecting the “whole issue”.

“We are asking tough questions to the police and to the government. In order to avoid answering these questions it is an attempt to say justice has been done,” she said.

Krishnan said the police personnel responsible must be arrested and prosecuted.

Annie Raja, general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Woman (NFIW), called for a high-level inquiry.

“Why in spite of having all legislations in place in the country are governments failing to implement them. Definitely it was a distraction. It was an attempt to divert attention from the issue. A high-level inquiry in the matter is needed,” she said.

Lawyer and rights activist Vrinda Grover termed the incident “absolutely unacceptable”. She asked for an independent judicial inquiry into the incident.

Human rights activist Shabnam Hashmi, founding member of ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy), agreed that it might be an attempt by the government to distract people. With agencies

The perpetrators of such heinous crimes deserve the harshest punishment, but by swift due process in a court of law. The police were obviously under unbearable pressure; but extra-Judicial killings will only make innocent people victims over time. Due process protects all of us. https://t.co/Y4IxQVKUfj

— Jayaprakash Narayan (@JP_LOKSATTA) December 6, 2019

Job of police is to ensure next rape doesn't happen.

1. Do you think, now that "accused" is killed within days, no rape would happen in Telengana? Who can guarantee that?

2. Most importantly, how do we know police killed rapist not random ppl? https://t.co/UxdIwDsJqI

— Sumit Kashyap (@sumitkashyapjha) December 6, 2019

The most heinous criminals I remember from newspapers before the social media age were Ranga-Billa. They were tried in a court of law before they were sentenced to death. #India

— S Roy Chowdhury (@SRoyChowdhury01) December 6, 2019

If a crime scene was being recreated for the case, surely there must be video evidence? Zif the past teaches us anything, extra judicial encounters usually has the blessing of the political leadership or the state govt is aghast. Here there is no sign of the latter

— advait palepu (@advaitrao1) December 6, 2019

Several others have supported the encounter. 

ठोंक दिया . सही किया .#justiceforpriyanakareddy

— Yashwant Deshmukh 🇮🇳 (@YRDeshmukh) December 6, 2019

Your own faith in judicial sytem is so thin that you have already declared cops guilty of murder. Without info, investigation, evidence & trial.

Criminals should get justice in court but #hyderabadpolice should be hanged without a judicial scrutiny, right?#Encounter #Hyderabad https://t.co/xdPWea1OyL

— Arun Bothra (@arunbothra) December 6, 2019

I congratulate the hyderabad police and the leadership that allows the police to act like police
Let all know this is the country where good will always prevail over evil
(Disclaimer for holier than thou- police acted swiftly in self defence)#Encounter#hyderabadpolice

— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) December 6, 2019

Good that Telangana Police didn’t allow them to escape from custody , otherwise they would have come in for big criticism.

— Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) December 6, 2019

Encounters take place when instead of asking for a better Criminal Justice System the society puts the entire accountability on the Police.

Wish we get faster justice in the court rooms rather than on the streets. #Hyderabad#hyderabadpolice#HyderabadHorror pic.twitter.com/kxazXsGyRF

— Arun Bothra (@arunbothra) December 6, 2019

Well done boys- Telagana Police https://t.co/WTU5ZU7Wor

— Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) December 6, 2019