Is Hyderabad Encounter ‘Justice Served’ in the Rape & Murder Case?

Many are celebrating the Hyderabad encounter, while some others are questioning the loopholes in this encounter.

(Photo: The Quint)

All the four accused of raping and murdering a 26-year-old woman veterinarian in Hyderabad were killed in an encounter with the Hyderabad police on 6 December 2019.

In the early hours of 6 December, Friday came an unforeseen turn in the Hyderabad rape and murder case.

All the four accused of raping and murdering a 26-year-old woman veterinarian in Hyderabad were killed in an encounter with the Hyderabad Police. Remember it’s barely been a week after the four were arrested by the police, kept in judicial custody and questioned.

The police’s version is that all the accused were taken to the site of the crime for reconstruction of the scene sometime around 3 am to 6 am on Friday, when the four tried to snatch weapons from the police and fired at them in an attempt to escape. Police say that they didn't stop firing and that’s when the police fired back in retaliation and shot dead all four.

And this bit of news is drawing reactions from both the ends of the spectrum — many are celebrating it, while some others are questioning the loopholes in this encounter.

How do we digest this news in a country that has a shockingly high rate of crime against women and also a bad reputation of extrajudicial killings? Do we view this encounter as justice or draw our attention to the questionable circumstances of the encounter? Let’s try to make to sense of this case with the help of lawyers and experts in The Big Story. Tune in!