Sirpurkar report exposes ‘brazen criminality’ of police under KCR, says Telangana BJP

In light of the Sirpurkar report on the encounter killings in the Hyderabad rape and murder case, the BJP has slammed the “brazen criminality” of police under the K Chandrashekar Rao government in Telangana.

In a blistering attack, the BJP has said the Sirpurkar report on the encounter killings of four accused in the Disha rape case exposed the “brazen criminality” of police under the K Chandrashekar Rao government in Telangana.

Condemning the alleged extra-judicial killings by the police and the seeming complicity of the state, the BJP said, “The political compulsions of the head of a state government and his party's political interest should not push police to indulge in illegal methods to deliver instant justice, no matter how heinous the case at hand is.”

The saffron party’s statement referred to the Disha case, which pertains to the gang-rape and murder of a 25-year-old woman veterinarian in Hyderabad in December 2019. Four men were arrested on charges of rape and murder.

However, just two days after their arrest, the four accused were taken to the crime spot early in the morning, for allegedly “recreating the scene” and “to collect evidence.” Police said the four were killed in an encounter when they attempted to escape after snatching weapons from the cops.

Contrary to the police’s claims, a three-member inquiry commission headed by retired Supreme Court justice V S Sirpurkar said that the accused were not trying to escape, and that they were killed in an extra-judicial manner.

In its 387-page report, the Commission also said that three of the four accused who were murdered by the police were minors, and that the police were aware of this at the time of the killing.

After the commission submitted its report to the top court, the BJP accused KCR of encouraging an “anarchist style of governance”, adding that there should be no exception to proper trial of the accused and eventual punishment by the courts of law.