New Delhi: A Supreme Court-appointed commission said on Friday that the four gang-rape and murder accused who were killed in a police encounter in Telangana were deliberately fired upon with an intent to cause their death.
The report on the conduct of Hyderabad police further added that the three of the four were minors while the police had claimed the three were 20-year-olds.
“In our considered opinion, the accused were deliberately fired upon with an intent to cause their death and with the knowledge that the firing would invariably result in the death of the deceased suspect,” the report said.
“We are of the opinion that at the relevant time, that all the accused expect Mohammed Arif, including Jolu Shiva, Jolu Naveen, and Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu were minors,” it said.
The four accused were arrested in connection with the gang rape and murder of a veterinary lady doctor in November 2019.
For the not known, a woman veterinarian was abducted, gang-raped, and was later found murdered on NH-44 near Hyderabad. The police report also claimed that the body of the victim was subsequently burned by the accused in an attempt to hide their crime.
Later, the four accused were shot down by the Hyderabad police on the same highway. The police had claimed that the accused were trying to escape the spot while they were taken to the location of crime for investigation.
The probe panel of Chief Justice NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli did not agree with senior advocate Shyam Divan’s demand of keeping the report under a sealed cover and said, “This relates to the encounter case. There is nothing to keep here. The Commission has found someone guilty. We want to send the matter to the high court”.
The panel further recommended creating an effective action to punish perjury – false testimony.
