Four rapists, who were suspected of raping, murdering, then burning a 27-year-old vet in a high-profile case from India, were shot dead by police after being led back to the scene of the crime in Shadnagar, near Hyderabad.
The men had been arrested and taken into custody in Southern India, but weren’t officially charged with any crimes.
The men were accused of allegedly raping, murdering, then burning the body of Priyanka Reddy, a vet, in a high-profile case that rocked a country that is peppered with regular gang-rape and murder cases.
Reddy’s body was discovered less than half a mile away from where a trucker assisted her with a flat tire.
Officials claim that one of the rapists had tried to escape and grab an officers gun before the group were shot dead.
Around 300 citizens flocked to the scene of the rape to heap praise on the officers for killing the suspects.
Some members of the crowd who came to the scene hugged the officers and chanted slogans thanking them for taking matters into their own hands.
An Indian MP had previously said that these rapists and murderers should have been publicly lynched.
However, opinion was polarized in the capital.
According to Metro:
Secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association Kavita Krishnan said: ‘This type of justice is counterfeit.
The killings are a ploy to shut down our demand of accountability from governments, judiciary and police, and dignity and justice for women. We demand a thorough investigation into this.’
Maneka Gandhi, an MP from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and a former Cabinet minister, accused police of taking the law into their own hands.
She said: ‘They would’ve been hanged by court anyway. If you’re going to kill the accused before any due process of law has been followed, then what’s the point of having courts, law and police?’
Perhaps more controversial was the opinion of filmmaker Daniel Shravan who believed that rape without murder should be legalized and women should carry condoms around for potential rapists.
He also suggested that women should cooperate with their rapists to avoid getting murdered.
