All 4 Telangana rape accused shot dead

“Even though our officers maintained restraint and asked them to surrender, they continued to fire and attack…our people retaliated and the four accused got killed”

VC Sajjanar, Cyberabad Police Commissioner

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, December 6

All four accused in the Hyderabad gang-rape and murder of a 26-year old veterinarian were shot dead by police in a pre-dawn exchange of fire near Hyderabad, a top police official said, as the killings were largely greeted with praise but also sparked concerns over extra-judicial executions.

The four men were arrested on November 29 for allegedly raping and killing the 25-year-old woman by smothering her and later burning her body, an incident that led to widespread outrage and brought back memories of the December 16, 2012, gang-rape and murder of a physiotherapy intern in Delhi.

The police said the killings took place between 5.45 am and 6.15 am when the accused, lorry workers aged between 20 and 24 years, were taken to the scene of the crime near Chattanpally in Shadnagar, about 50 km from Hyderabad, for reconstruction of the events as part of investigation. The four men, who were not handcuffed, were in police custody, it said.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said the accused were shot in an “act of self-defence” as they snatched weapons from two policemen and fired at them, besides pelting stones in an attempt to flee. He said the 10-member police team had to open fire as the accused tried to escape by causing grievous hurt and head injuries to a sub-inspector and a constable. The eldest among the accused, Mohammed Arif, was the first to open fire, he added.

As the news spread with four bodies lying in a field, one with a pistol in hand, barely 500 metres from the site where the veterinarian was burnt alive, the crowd shouted slogans praising the Telangana Police. The people distributed sweets and showered flower petals hailing the action of the police.

Sajjanar said the suspects were first taken to the Tondupally toll plaza around 2 am. After questioning, they were taken to the Chatanpally culvert where the victim’s body was burnt. The suspects were being questioned about what happened on the night of November 28 when Arif and another accused, Chennakesavulu, “tried to snatch the weapons from the police and escape”.

The news of the killings led to celebrations in some quarters and concern in others.

The veterinarian’s father said after the death of the “rapists, his daughter’s soul will rest in peace”, thanking the Telangana government and the police. The victim’s sister said she was happy that the “guilty” had been punished and hoped the killings would be a deterrent for others. “With this incident, people should be scared to commit such crimes (against women),” she said.

The National Human Rights Commission took cognisance of the killings and ordered an inquiry. The panel said the “encounter” was a matter of concern and needed to be probed carefully.

Several rights activists spoke out to express their outrage and said the police could not act like a lynch mob under any circumstance.

The Amnesty International India termed the killings as a “disturbing precedent of circumventing the legal system”. “Extrajudicial killings are not a solution to preventing rape,” said Avinash Kumar, the outfit’s executive director.