Thought of killing rapists of Nirbhaya never came to mind: Former top cop

New Delhi: Former Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar, who handled the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, on Friday, said that the thought of killing the accused never crossed his mind.

Mr Kumar recalled that it was a “tough time when the Nirbhaya case was reported in December 2012 since the policemen were treated as rapists.”

Nirbhaya was gang raped on December 16, 2012. She later succumbed to her injuries. The brutality of the incident had rocked the nation, leading to massive protests.

“There was a lot of pressure at that time, but the thought of killing them never came. We were getting messages, asking us to throw the accused in front of hungry lions. Someone said castrate them in public, someone said lynch them, but we just stuck to our guns. There was no question of doing anything illegal,” Mr Kumar told a news agency.

His comments came as all four accused in the rape and murder case of a 25-year-old woman veterinarian in Hyderabad last month were killed in an exchange of fire with the police on Friday morning.