Hyderabad: Onlookers gather near the “encounter” site, where four accused in the rape-and-murder case of a 27-year-old woman veterinarian were shot dead by police. (PTI)
The Telangana High Court on Friday directed the state government to preserve the bodies of four accused in the rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinarian till 8.00 pm on December 9. The High Court gave the order on a representation received in the office of the Chief Justice, requesting judicial intervention into the incident, alleging it was an extrajudicial killing.
Earlier today, the Telangana Police said its personnel resorted to “retaliatory” firing after two of the accused in the rape and murder of a woman veterinarian opened fire at police after snatching weapons from them this morning. Police also said that snatched weapons were in “unlocked” position.
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Police said the four were taken to Chatanapally— where they had burnt the woman’s body — for crime reconstruction when they allegedly tried to escape by attacking the cops. “All this happened within 5 or 10 minutes after the four accused were brought to the spot,” Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar told. Earlier today, the National Human Rights Commission also ordered an inquiry into the incident.
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Hyderabad vet rape-murder case: The 27-year-old veterinarian, went missing from Shamshabad toll plaza, near Hyderabad, on November 27.
Highlights
A case was registered against four accused, arrested for the alleged rape and murder of a woman veterinarian near here last month and killed in an encounter, for ‘attacking’ the police personnel. Case under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 176 (omission to give notice or information to public servant by person legally bound to give it) and relevant sections of the Indian Arms Act were registered against the accused. Based on a complaint filed by the in-charge of police team that accompanied the four accused, the FIR was booked on Friday, a senior police official told PTI. Read more...
The Telangana High Court on Friday directed the state government to preserve the bodies of four accused in the rape and murder of a young veterinarian till 8:00 PM on December 9, news agency PTI reported. The High Court gave the order on a representation received in the office of the Chief Justice, requesting judicial intervention into the incident, alleging it was an extrajudicial killing.
The High Court also directed that the video of the post-mortem in Compact Disc form or pen-drive be handed over to the Principal District Judge, Mahabubnagar, after completion of the post-mortem of all the accused, the news agency reported.
“Take me to the spot where my husband was killed and shoot me down too. We were married only for a year and now I do not want to live without him,” cried the pregnant wife of one of the accused who was killed in the Hyderabad ‘encounter’ in Chatanpally area early Friday morning. Unable to digest what has happened to her life, she said it was absolutely “not fair.” Click here to read more.
Several retired and serving police officers cautioned against doubting the police in the 'encounter' of four accused in the rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinarian in Hyderabad, but demanded an independent probe into the incident. Former Tihar Jail DG Vimla Mehra demanded that an inquiry be conducted to ascertain the reasons that led to the encounter.
Alok Kumar, former joint commissioner of Delhi Police (Crime Branch), said whenever judicial scrutiny happens, things will be cleared. (PTI)
Divulging details of the ‘encounter’ of all four accused in the rape and murder of a 27-year-old woman Hyderabad veterinary doctor, Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar on Friday said his men resorted to ‘retaliatory’ firing after two of the accused opened fire at the police after snatching two pistols from them. Click here to read more.
Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal Friday said the Hyderabad "encounter" will send out a strong message and people will feel justice was done. "What about thousands of Nirbhayas who are still waiting for justice. At the end of the day, there will be a strong message (after the encounter), and people will feel justice was done. But l want this country to run through a system," Maliwal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Speaking to indianexpress.com over phone, Justice Pasha, who retired in May 2018, said, "I cannot call it an encounter. I feel these are cold-blooded murders. Even though it is the will of the people, the police ought not to have done it." Click here to read more.
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Backing police action in Hyderabad "encounter", Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said that the police acted in self-defence. "They (accused) tried to attack and escape when they were taken to spot (of crime), so the encounter was inevitable to save their (police) lives," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Former Union home minister P Chidambaram said on Friday that a "thorough inquiry" should be made into the killing of the four people, accused in the Hyderabad rape-murder case.
"I don't know the facts about what happened, but I can say this much, whatever happened, an inquiry should be made into it," Chidambaram told reporters when asked for a reaction on the incident during a press conference in Ranchi.
"There must be a thorough inquiry to know if it (is a) genuine encounter or whether it is anything else. As a responsible person, I will ask for a thorough inquiry," he added. (PTI)
Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said that the four accused were not handcuffed at that time as they were asked to search for the belongings of the veterinary doctor which they claimed they had hidden there. He also said that all the weapons carried by cops were unlocked as the accused were considered dangerous.
"The accused tried to mislead the police and wandered around. Suddenly, one of the accused started pelting stones at the officers. The other accused also joined him and then the remaining two also picked up sticks and stones and threw them at the police escort. Two of our policemen were injured," Cyberabad Police Commissioner CV Sajjanar told during a media briefing.
"They also snatched two pistols in the melee and fired at the policemen. We gave them a chance to surrender but they fired and police retaliated. After the firing stopped we found that all four accused were dead," he added.
"We suspect that the accused were also involved in many other cases in Karnataka, investigation is on," Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar told media today.
On being asked about how the accused managed to fire as guns have a safety lock, Commissioner V C Sajjanar said that the snatched weapons were in "unlocked" position, news agency PTI reported.
Cyberabad CP, VC Sajjanar on today's encounter: I can only say that law has done its duty.
Addressing the media on today's "encounter," Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said, "After the accused confessed, they were brought to the location to recover material evidence. That is when they snatched police weapons and tried to fire."He said that after being attacked, the police retaliated. Two police personnel were also injured during the operation. However, he said that the injured cops received head injuries and not bullet injuries.
Adibatla village, one of the booming IT/ITES special economic zones adjacent to the 158-km long outer ring road of Hyderabad, lacks basic facilities like street lighting. This makes women think twice before stepping out. Click here to read more.
The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo moto cognizance of the killings in Hyderabad. The NHRC has ordered a probe in the incident and will send a fact-finding team to the site.
TRS Parliamentary Party leader and Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao expressed surprise over the alleged encounter in Hyderabad. "Whatever government has to do (with regard to the encounter) it will do. (Those) four persons were killed and the people are happy. The question is if the punishment comes through the court it would have been better," Keshava Rao told reporters in New Delhi.
"We have appointed fast-track court for the trial of the case. We thought that the judgement (from the special court) would have come in a month's time," he added. He said, "We never thought that they would try to escape and this (encounter) would happen". Asked whether they were intentionally encountered, he said: "that is your view". Whether the government would order an inquiry into the encounter, he said: "they must be doing it." (PTI)
Former Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar, who handled the Nirbhaya gangrape-and-murder case, on Friday said the thought of killing the accused never crossed his mind. "There was a lot of pressure at that time, but the thought of killing them never came. We were getting messages, asking us to throw the accused in front of hungry lions. But we followed the law," he told PTI over phone.