New Delhi:
All 4 men accused of raping and killing the Hyderabad veterinary doctor in cold blood were allegedly shot dead in a police 'encounter' in Hyderabad on Friday. Amid questions being raised on circumstances surrounding the encounter deaths, Nirbhaya's parents welcomed the move while Congress leader Shashi Tharoor struck a note of caution, reported PTI.
Nirbhaya’s mother appealed to authorities to not punish the policemen involved in the encounter. Similarly, Nirbhaya’s father welcomed the encounter and said the family's wait for justice ended early. "The family of the Hyderabad doctor will not have to wait for justice for seven years like us. Police did the right thing," he said.
Nirbhaya, a 23-year-old paramedic student died days after being gangraped in December 2012.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor stated that extrajudicial killings were not acceptable. In a tweet, he said, "Agree in principle. We need to know more, for instance if the criminals were armed, the police may have been justified in opening fire preemptively. Until details emerge we should not rush to condemn. But extra-judicial killings are otherwise unacceptable in a society of laws."
Rekha Sharma, National Commission for Women chief, said she was happy that the perpetrators were dead but justice should have been done through proper legal channels.
News Nation has learned that the four accused, who were in the police custody, were taken to the scene of the crime, to recreate the sequence of events. This was done as part of the investigation to establish the exact timeline of the events leading up to the gruesome gangrape. Sources told News Nation that during the crime recreation, an accused suddenly snatched the weapon of one of the policemen and tried to escape. The cops say that in ‘self-defence’, the accused were shot dead. The encounter took place at National Highway 44 around 2:30 AM.
Also Read: Exclusive: Hyderabad Doctor's Family Reacts To Encounter Of Accused – 'Thoda Relaxed Hain'
Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar has already confirmed the news about the encounter. “All four accused in Hyderabad rape-murder case killed in crossfire,” Sajjanar said.
