As news of the four accused in the Hyderabad gangrape and murder case being killed in a reported encounter with the Telangana police broke on Friday, the country stood divided. While some hailed the police’s actions in serving speedy justice, others called it a breakdown of due process and termed it an extrajudicial killing.
Top police officials across the country also seem divided on the issue. Many took to social media in the aftermath of the reported encounter to give their take on the matter.
Some officials said that this wasn’t really ‘justice’ and that due process should have been followed.
Justice delayed is justice denied,
— Pankaj Nain IPS (@ipspankajnain) December 6, 2019
Justice hurried is justice buried.
Trigger happy police.Not a good sign. legal procedures can’t be wished away pic.twitter.com/zd2WZNY8RK
— Aslam Khan (@aslam_IPS) December 6, 2019
....Hanged till death after a fair and speedy trial would have been befitting and apt punishment, rather than easy death in an encounter after a failed escape bid!!! #HyderabadDoctorMurder
— Rakesh Balwal (@ips_balwal) December 6, 2019
Some IPS officers echoed an argument that is being increasingly heard since Friday – that the faith in the criminal justice system of the country was dwindling, and that is fuelling celebrations about the reported encounter.
This calls for profound introspection. Something is terribly amiss.
— Imtiyaz Hussain (@hussain_imtiyaz) December 6, 2019
We can’t afford to fail half of us & we can’t afford to disregard due procedure of law.
Time to go for major systemic overhaul. It’s a wake up call for the nation. https://t.co/oS4fg5DHMG
Fake encounters give people false satisfaction of justice and frees us from our responsibility of making our Criminal Justice System speedy and effective that is capable of creating real fear of law.
— Hasmukh Patel (@Hasmukhpatelips) December 6, 2019
We need to strive for speedy justice in each case.
Encounters take place when instead of asking for a better Criminal Justice System the society puts the entire accountability on the Police.
— Arun Bothra (@arunbothra) December 6, 2019
Wish we get faster justice in the court rooms rather than on the streets. #Hyderabad#hyderabadpolice#HyderabadHorror pic.twitter.com/kxazXsGyRF
Some insisted that there should be an inquiry into the matter, and people should not judge the police before the results of the inquiry are revealed. Arun Bothra, the IG of Police, Criminal Investigation Department and Crime Branch, Odisha, also said this.
Your own faith in judicial sytem is so thin that you have already declared cops guilty of murder. Without info, investigation, evidence & trial.
— Arun Bothra (@arunbothra) December 6, 2019
Criminals should get justice in court but #hyderabadpolice should be hanged without a judicial scrutiny, right?#Encounter #Hyderabad https://t.co/xdPWea1OyL
IGP Railways and former DIG Prisons, D Roopa, did not openly show support to the Telangana police. However, on Friday afternoon, she tweeted a shloka from the Bhagwad Gita. Translated from Sanskrit, it means, “For the protection of the pious who follow the virtuous path, and for the destruction of evil-doers, and for establishing virtue (dharma), I am born in every age.”
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।
— D Roopa IPS (@D_Roopa_IPS) December 6, 2019
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥
Thoughts at this moment.
In her later tweets however, she defended the Telangana police, and argued with others on Twitter for judging them without enquiry.
How did you conclude? I'm sure there will be enquiry now- magisterial enquiry, judicial enquiry of sorts on police action. But how did you conclude prior to these enquiries? https://t.co/RNsYPGpVZ0
— D Roopa IPS (@D_Roopa_IPS) December 6, 2019
Two errors in this tweet:
— D Roopa IPS (@D_Roopa_IPS) December 6, 2019
1. Prejudging the action of law enforcement agency and terming it as mafia-style.
2. Comparing lawful agency's action with action of private, terrorist outfits like ISIS and Taliban. https://t.co/KzylEOkhmS
U are pre judging the action of police. If the deadly accused, who gang rape a woman and kill try to escape, should cops helplessly watch it? https://t.co/07Lci04iYD
— D Roopa IPS (@D_Roopa_IPS) December 6, 2019
She also claimed that after the 2008 Warangal encounter with the police in which three men accused of throwing acid on two women engineering college students were gunned down, acid attacks had not recurred in the state.
Telengana& erstwhile Andhra police were very effective in curbing naxalism. Incidentally, people from Telengana tell me that 2008 encounter, killing offenders of acid-attack case has prevented any such acid attack incident from recurring in the state. https://t.co/94Snz8Wp0g
— D Roopa IPS (@D_Roopa_IPS) December 6, 2019
The Warangal encounter was also led by VC Sajjanar, the same man who was leading a team of 10 police officials in the reported encounter in the Hyderabad case.
However, Deepu, a journalist with South China Morning Post, argued on a Twitter thread that the Warangal encounter had not actually acted as a deterrent against acid attacks in Andhra Pradesh. Further, as in the Hyderabad case, the police initially did not take the complaint of the victims seriously.
The Warangal encounter made V.C. Sajjanar a hero, but it was not even an (immediate) deterrent
— Deepu (@deepusebastian) December 6, 2019
There were 12 acid attacks within 8 months of the encounter
There were also 5 stabbings, 2 sickle attacks, 1 attack with a boulder, 1 attack with boiling oilhttps://t.co/lkTGzcA8ld
Did the Warangal encounter bring down the number of acid attacks in Andhra Pradesh?
— Deepu (@deepusebastian) December 6, 2019
No: there were 14 attacks in 2015, probably the highest for any state in the country.https://t.co/zEUt4MeshI pic.twitter.com/YmdD8YxB0J
Some IPS officers openly showed support for the Telangana police, saying that their boldness should be praised.
Irrespective of the repurcussions of the #encounter of the rape accused, the leadership of the Telengana Police should be lauded for being bold in the face of adversity and not fearing the consequences of their actions !! #hyderabadpolice #JusticeForDisha
— Karthikeyan G IPS (@karthikeyangips) December 6, 2019
#hyderabadpolice #EncounterNight
— Dipanshu Kabra (@ipskabra) December 6, 2019
In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing...
Theodore Roosevelt
Former DGP of Jammu and Kashmir lauded the Telangana police for their action.
Well done boys- Telagana Police https://t.co/WTU5ZU7Wor
— Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) December 6, 2019