Family says events could have been thwarted if police would not have ‘wasted precious time’
Hyderabad/New Delhi: Protests were held at several places on Saturday against the rape and murder of a 25-year-old veterinarian in Hyderabad with an angry crowd hurling stones at the police personnel, who escorted the four accused to jail from a police station in the Telangana capital, and demanding that the culprits be handed over to them.
The accused were sent to judicial custody for 14 days by the executive magistrate who passed the order at the Shadnagar police station, where they were lodged, as they could not be produced in court due to the presence of the large number of protesters in front of the police station. Stones were hurled at a police vehicle as the accused were being taken to the jail in Hyderabad, and police used mild force to control the crowd.
National Commission for Women (NCW) member Shyamala Kundar, who was here to inquire into the incident, said she has recommended action against policemen, after an inquiry, as they allegedly did not respond on time to a complaint from the victim’s family.
Protests were also held by different student groups and others at various places in Telangana demanding severe punishment to the accused. The local bar association has said it will not offer any legal assistance to the accused in the case.
Amid widespread outrage over the incident, which brought back painful memories of the 2012 Nirbhaya case, a candle light march was taken out at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
The latest case of the veterinarian in Hyderabad, who was gang raped and then burnt, has brought the issue of women’s safety in the country in focus again as the Centre has “failed” to protect them, said Amrish Ranjan Pandey, media in-charge of the Indian Youth Congress which organised the protest.
A woman sat on a solitary protest near the Parliament here on Saturday morning and alleged that she was harassed and beaten up by Delhi police personnel following which the Delhi Commission for Women issued notice to Delhi Police.
Holding a placard with the slogan ‘Why I can’t feel safe in my own Bharat’, Anu Dubey, in her mid-20s, sat on the pavement near gate number 2-3 of the Parliament House complex to protest crime against women in the country, police said.
The Delhi Police, however, denied the allegations of brutality, adding that a senior woman police officer will look into the matter.
The protests came two days after veterinary doctor, who works in a state-run hospital, was raped and killed by the four accused, all lorry workers, on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Her charred body was found on the outskirts of Hyderabad and the accused were arrested on Friday.
Condemning the incident, leaders said the government would ensure that the culprits would get severe punishment through expeditious investigation and trial.
Police maintained tight vigil as people staged protests outside the Shadnagar police station in Hyderabad where the accused were lodged. Officials said the protests broke out in the morning and continued till the evening. Some of the protesters demanded death penalty for the accused.
“It is not enough if they are taken to court. They should be handed out the same treatment that they gave to the victim,” a protester said.
“If you cannot do it, hand them over to us,” another said.
Police assured the agitators that they would ensure that the accused are convicted and sought their cooperation.
NCW member Shyamala Kundar said the policemen had allegedly told the victim’s sister, who had gone to lodge a complaint, that the case did not fall under their jurisdiction. NCW chief Rekha Sharma said the veterinarian’s family told them that the police played a “negative role” in the case and “wasted precious time” which could have been used to save her life. The family members also said the police even alleged she had eloped with someone, Sharma said. (PTI)