2019 Hyderabad gang rape and murder
In November 2019, the gang rape and murder of a 26-year-old veterinary doctor in Shamshabad, near Hyderabad, sparked outrage across India.
[2] The Telangana Police Department stated the victim parked her scooter near a toll plaza, catching the attention of two lorry drivers and their assistants.
According to police, they deflated her tire, pretended to help her, and pushed her into nearby bushes, where they raped and smothered her.
The police arrested four men based on the evidence gathered from CCTV cameras and from the victim's mobile phone.
[19] She was a resident of Shamshabad[20] and was working as a veterinary assistant surgeon at the state-run hospital at Kollur village.
[23] Indian laws prohibit naming rape victims, and violations are subject to legal penalties.
[23][25] According to the Telangana Police Department remand report, the victim had parked her scooter near Tondupally toll plaza, where the accused ones saw her, two lorry drivers and their assistants, who had been drinking whiskey before allegedly planning the crime.
[26][27] According to the remand report, on 27 November 2019 at around 6:15 p.m., after parking the scooter, the victim took a taxi to a dermatologist's office in Hyderabad.
[26] The four men removed her clothes and took turns sexually assaulting her until she started bleeding and lost consciousness.
[26] When she regained consciousness, they smothered her,[29] wrapped the corpse in a blanket, transported it in their truck 27 km to a location near the Shadnagar interchange on the Hyderabad Outer Ring road, and at approximately 2:30 a.m. burnt it under a bridge using diesel and petrol purchased for the purpose.
[30][26] The police arrested the four accused based on the evidence gathered from CCTV cameras, an eyewitness, and the victim's mobile phone.
[32][20] The woman's charred corpse was found under Chatanpally Bridge in Shadnagar located 30 km (19 mi) from the toll booth where she was abducted.
[37] Protests against rape were organised across the country, including major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad.
Instead, the executive magistrate arrived to the police station and passed the order to send the accused on judicial custody for 14 days.
In the Lok Sabha, the Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated that the government was "open to every suggestion to curb such heinous crimes" and ready to explore strongest legal provisions.
[47] Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy said, "There is zero tolerance towards crimes against women and children.
[49] P. Wilson suggested courts be empowered "to surgically and chemically castrate convicted rapists before they are released from jails" to prevent repeat offenders.
At the same time, the police and law enforcement authorities, her family, even some volunteers will be alerted, so response can be quick.
"[42] The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) has made additional suggestions for changes to IPC and CrPC rules.
[4] The BBC attributed the celebrations to frustration with the "meandering pace" of the judicial system in India, which often requires years and occasionally decades to adjudicate clear cases.
The BBC noted the popularity of films featuring "trigger-happy, vigilante cops brazenly carrying out extrajudicial executions" and the number of tweets comparing the Cyberabad police officers with the protagonist of Singam, a 2010 film about an avenging police officer.
"[52] Amnesty International India stated that the "alleged extrajudicial execution" had raised disturbing questions and asked for an independent investigation.
[57] Meenakshi Ganguly of Human Rights Watch tweeted, "To appease public rage over state failures against sexual assault, Indian authorities commit another violation.
"[58] The Telangana High Court ordered to preserve the bodies of the accused until 13 December, and permitted their transfer (due to lack of morgue space) to Gandhi Hospital.
[59] The National Human Rights Commission of India initiated an investigation of the killings and will send a team led by a senior officer to Telangana.
[58] In May 2022, the Inquiry Commission headed by former Supreme Court judge V. S. Sirpurkar concluded in its report that the encounter was staged, and the accused "were deliberately fired upon with an intent to cause their death".
The bills seek to expedite the investigation and trail of heinous cases related to sexual offences against women and children when substantial conclusive evidence is present.
[64] In September 2020, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma announced the film Disha Encounter which is based on the incident.
