2019 gang rape, subsequent encounter: Punish rogue Hyderabad cops quickly

A Supreme Court-appointed commission has confirmed the suspicion that the Telangana police had killed in cold blood four accused persons arrested for the 2019 gang rape and murder of a 26-year-old woman in Hyderabad. The commission, headed by former Supreme Court Justice V S Sirpurkar, has found that the police’s claims about the killings are wrong and fabricated. It has reported that the accused persons were deliberately fired at with an intent to kill them when they were taken to the crime scene. The police version was that the accused had snatched their pistols, injured some policemen and tried to escape. Attempts were later made to falsify the records to shield the police team. The police were, at many levels, involved in planning and executing the killings and destroying evidence. The commission has recommended framing of murder charges against 10 policemen.

The police version had evoked scepticism even in 2019 because it very well matched the standard format of fake encounters. The rape and murder of the young woman had sent shockwaves and evoked strong public reaction and revulsion. The police were under pressure to act in the matter. But a duly constituted police force should not conduct itself like a vigilante group and enforce instant justice on suspects and accused persons. In a society governed by rule of law, no punishment can be meted out without following the due process of law. It is the duty of the police to uphold the law, not to take it into their hands. The investigation of cases, which involves painstaking efforts to collect evidence, and the judicial process, which examines that evidence, cannot be dispensed with in favour of methods that rogue cops may favour.

The police and other law enforcement agencies have resorted to fake encounters and extra-judicial killings for various reasons. They have also been done at the behest of governments and politicians. The criminal justice system is riddled with problems like long delays and low conviction rates. The police forces are understaffed, undertrained and overburdened. So the idea that the best way to tackle crime is to kill the criminal or those accused of crimes appeals to some sections of the police and even the public. There is also a rising culture of lawlessness in the country that sanctions and encourages instant justice. Citizens should realise that a society that sanctions a rogue police force and allows the justice system to be short-circuited will only put the life and liberty of every citizen in constant danger. The guilty policemen of Hyderabad must be quickly tried and meted out punishment that would deter others of their ilk.