The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday took suo motu cognisance of the reported encounter of four people in Telangana who were alleged to have gangraped and murdered a 26-year-old Hyderabad veterinarian, Disha*.
The NHRC stated that it is of the opinion that the matter needs to be probed very carefully.
“Accordingly, it has asked its Director General (Investigation) to immediately send a team for fact-finding on the spot investigation into the matter. The team of the Investigation Division of the Commission, headed by an SSP, is expected to leave immediately and submit their report, at the earliest,” the Commission said in a release.
While many are terming the police action as ‘justice’ for the victim, the reported encounter has also been condemned. Jayaprakash Narayan, the founder of the Foundation for Democratic Reforms (FRD) said that “extra-judicial killings will only make innocent people victims over a period of time.”
In a tweet, Jayaprakash Narayan said: “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 extrajudicial killings will only make innocent people victims over time. Due process protects all of us."
There are no shortcuts to strengthening rule of law - investigation, forensics, police capacity, prosecution, judicial procedure, trials. Weak, ineffective, arbitrary/selective rule of law will endanger the whole society. The first task of state is speedy and efficient justice. https://t.co/LPMHBUZBXJ
— Jayaprakash Narayan (@JP_LOKSATTA) December 6, 2019
“There are no shortcuts to strengthening the rule of law — investigation, forensics, police capacity, prosecution, judicial procedure, trials. Weak, ineffective, arbitrary/selective rule of law will endanger the whole society. The first task of the state is speedy and efficient justice,” he further added.
The reported encounter was also condemned by the Human Rights Forum (HRF), which termed it to be “arbitrary and extrajudicial killings".
Speaking to TNM, S Jeevan Kumar, HRF Coordination Committee member (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) said, “The judicial process should have been completed and punishment could have been given according to Indian law. The government has taken advantage of emotional public anger. We are compelled to believe that the government has no faith in the judiciary and its own law."
In a press release, HRF demanded that the policemen involved in the killing of the four be arrested and prosecuted for homicide, and for the investigation in the case to be handed over to the CBI.
“The investigation into this case must be handed over to the CBI since the Telangana police cannot be trusted to be fair in the matter. The judiciary must also take cognizance of these killings and respond appropriately,” the release stated.
Questioning if such killings were going to make women safer, HRF said, “Endowing police with the sanction to commit murders of accused is no answer; they only distract and shield the State from accountability”.
On Friday, the country woke up to the news of reported encounter of the four accused — Areef, Shiva, Naveen and Chennakeshavulu — in the horrific gangrape and murder of a woman from Hyderabad.
The incident is said to have taken place when the accused were taken to Chatanpally village (the scene of the crime), under Shadnagar police station limits, allegedly for evidence collection and scene reconstruction. The police reportedly killed the accused when they tried to take one of the guns from cops and flee.
The Cyberabad police took the four accused into custody with the court’s permission earlier this week. The Telangana High Court had also set up a fast-track court at the Mahabubnagar District Court earlier this week.