New Delhi: The dawn of Friday broke with a strange twist in the Telangana veterinarian's rape and murder case, with all the four accused being shot dead in what the Telanagana police termed it as an 'encounter'. While the move has been cheered by many as "instant justice", experts and human rights activists have expressed anger and termed it "bad precedent".
Speaking to IANS, social activist and former National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Ranjana Kumari said: "The incident presents a big risk of setting such trends in the future. Police cannot be criminal... Although I am very angry with what happened to the young vet but there is a law in this country.
"It is a total failure of the policing. They did not take statements of the suspects or even collect forensics. Who knows if they killed them under government pressure or due to public outrage?"
Another women's right activist Shamina Shafiq said: "Two wrongs do not make one right. What has happened is condemnable. Responsibilities should be fixed so that the pending rape cases are disposed timely. Celebrating this encounter is rubbish and may set a dangerous trend in the country. We are not a banana republic, we are a democracy."
Mwanwhile, NCW chief Rekha sharma told IANS that "the police has taken right decision looking at the circumstances. But I would have been happy if justice had been delivered through the court of law."
On the other hand, Nirbhaya's father justified the action of the police.
Speaking with IANS, he said: "This has happened because Nirbhaya's culprits have not been hanged yet. I am very happy that justice has been delivered in this matter by the police. People are losing faith due to delays in the disposal of such cases."
The people of Telangana also welcomed the decision and showered flowers on police personnel.
The victim's family members also found the action just while speaking to the media.
Similarly, Seema Singh, the mother of Sara Singh who was allegedly killed by her husband Uttar Pradesh MLA Amanmani Tripathi in July 2015, pleaded to people on social media to pressurise Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to carry out a similar encounter.
"My daughter Sara Singh was brutally raped and murdered by criminal politician Amanmani Tripathi. Request Indians to pressurize UP Police and @myogiadityanath and @narendramodi so that they carry out the encounter of the dreaded criminal politician..."