Four men who were suspected of raping and murdering a veterinarian were shot dead by police after being taken to the scene of the crime.
The group are believed to have forced themselves on Priyanka Reddy, 27, before murdering her and setting her body on fire in the Indian city of Hyderabad on November 26.
Her body was found less than half a mile from the scene of the rape, which took place after a lorry driver stopped to help her change a flat tyre.
Priyanka had called her sister to say she was waiting near a toll plaza while her tyre was changed, and local media reported she was taken behind a line of trucks before being attacked.
Four men aged between 20 and 28 years old were arrested and the suspects were being held in police custody before being taken to the scene of the crime.
N Prakash Reddy, a deputy commissioner of police in Shamshabad, explained police took the accused men to the scene in the early hours of Friday morning, December 6, to ‘reconstruct’ the events.
See police at the crime scene below:
During the reconstruction, the suspects reportedly tried to grab a police officer’s gun in an attempt to escape.
Reddy said all four of the accused died in ‘crossfire’, Gulf News reports. Two police officers were also injured in the encounter.
It’s unclear how many police had escorted the men or whether the accused were handcuffed at the time.
Following the death of the suspects, around 300 people gathered at the scene to praise the police for killing them. Some hugged officers and lifted them into the air while chanting ‘long live police,’ and others showered them with flowers.
In New Delhi, however, some observers condemned the police killing.
Kavita Krishnan, Secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association, has demanded a thorough investigation be conducted in relation to the deaths of the four men.
She commented:
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.
Similarly, 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?
Priyanka’s sister welcomed the killings and thanked the police for their support.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12-2:30 and 7-9:30). Alternatively you can contact Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on its website or on its helpline – 0808 800 5005.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.