Since news about ‘Disha’, the Hyderabad veterinarian, who was gangraped and murdered brutally spread, the entire country turned shell-shocked. It was like ‘Nirbhaya’ being repeated. There were protests galore with people demanding quick and speedy justice for the victim and her family. Some lawmakers even went to the extent of saying the perpetrators of such heinous crimes should be publicly lynched. It seems that the demands of the victim’s family and the country in general were met when the four accused in the case were shot dead in an encounter with the police in Hyderabad. Here’s an account of what transpired in the 10 days.
November 27: 27-year-old veterinarian goes missing from Shamshabad toll plaza near Hyderabad. Police reports say that the four accused saw the woman parking her two-wheeler near a toll plaza. They found out that one of the tyres had gone flat. Promising to help her, they offered her a lift. Then the accused allegedly raped and killed her. After the crime, they took the body of the woman to a secluded spot close to an under-construction bridge. Then they poured petrol over her and burnt her.
Investigations later revealed that the victim had parked her two-wheeler at the toll gate around 6.15pm and hired a cab to Gachibowli. She returned around 9.00pm to find that her two-wheeler had a flat tyre. At 9.22pm, she called her sister to say she was scared and asked her to keep speaking to her. That was the last time she was heard from.
November 28: The police found a charred body near Shadnagar and later it was identified that the body was of the missing Hyderabad veterinarian.
November 29: The four accused were identified by CCTV footage and arrested by the Cyberabad Police. They were identified as Mohammed Arif and Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu, both lorry drivers and Jollu Shiva and Jollu Naveen, the helpers. The accused were charged under IPC sections 302 (murder), 375 (rape) and 362 (abduction).
November 30: The accused were sent to a 14-day judicial custody. Police lodged them in the high-security cells at Cherlapally Central Prison. They were later shifted to Chanchalguda Central Jail. A large number of people stage a protest outside Hyderabad’s Shadnagar police station. Later, three police officials were suspended for negligence in duty.
December 1: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao calls the incident ‘ghastly’ and assures that the family of the veterinarian will be provided with all kinds of assistance.
December 4: The Telangana government issues orders for setting up a fast track court to try the four men accused of the gangrape and murder of a woman veterinarian. Protests continue in Hyderabad and other parts of the country over the ghastly incident.
The Telengana government designates the court of First Additional District and Sessions Judge in Mahabubnagar district as special court for speedy trial of the case.
December 6: All four accused in the rape-and-murder are killed in an alleged exchange of fire. The incident took place around 6.30 am when the accused were taken to the site of the offence for reconstruction of the scene of the crime as part of the investigation. Two policemen are also injured. Police say that one of the accused snatched a gun from a policeman and fired. The police in retaliation shot back killing all the four.
PNN & Agencies