At the outset it must be reiterated, in no uncertain terms, that the rape and brutal murder of the veterinary doctor in Hyderabad was a heinous and barbaric crime, and the perpetrators needed to be brought to justice as swiftly as possible. However, what has been done to the accused by the Telangana Police cannot be condoned. The police had only just started the investigation, and the four men were, at the time of their death in a police ‘encounter’ only accused and not convicts.
For all that we know about the functioning of the police in India, the accused may have been picked up randomly by them to avoid public criticism of the law and order situation, and to cover up for the inefficiency displayed by them in responding to the distress calls of the family of deceased victim of rape.