Nirbhaya kin hail cops, say justice delivered

New Delhi: Supporting the police encounter of the four accused in the Hyderabad gangrape and murder case in the early hours on Friday, the family of Nirbhaya said that the Telangana police has set an example and urged authorities not to punish the policemen responsible for the action.

Nirbhaya’s mother said that the court, the government, and the Delhi police should see what example the Hyderabad police has set. In December 2012, Nirbhaya, a 23-year-old paramedic student, was gang raped in the national capital and later died due to her injuries. Her rapists, who were sentenced to death, are still awaiting their fate.

“The police has done a great job and I demand that no action should be taken against the police personnel. Now I request the judiciary and the Central government to hang Nirbhaya’s accused as soon as possible and set an example before the society,” said Nirbhaya’s mother.

Justifying the encounter, Nirbhaya’s father said that had the police not acted promptly and shot the accused, they would have fled. “The family of the Hyderabad doctor will not have to wait for seven years for justice like us. We can understand the pain of her parents. At least they got justice early,” he said.

“It is good that the police showed prompt response and acted, otherwise the accused would have fled and it would have been difficult to catch them. The escape would also have raised questions on the efficiency of the police,” he said.

Her father said that the family has been awaiting justice for seven years now.

Nirbhaya’s grandfather also welcomed the step, saying actions like these will deter those involved in heinous crimes.

“I appreciate the killing of rapists by the police in an encounter. Such steps will create fear among rapists and deter them from committing such heinous acts,” he told reporters at his ancestral village in Ballia.

“The way in which rapists are using loopholes in the judicial system, such encounters are necessary. The Parliament should enact a law enabling the police to kill such persons in encounters,” he said, adding that no one should question the police’s action.

“My granddaughter was raped seven years ago and the accused have still not been given capital punishment. Had they (accused) been given capital punishment, the country would not have been in such anger,” he added.