Indian Police Kill 4 Gang Rape Suspects

Indian Police Kill 4 Gang Rape Suspects

Police in southern India have shot to death four men accused of raping and killing a 27-year-old veterinarian, VOA news reports.

Police took the suspects to the crime scene Friday, where the men tried to escape.

All of the accused where killed in the fracas.

“It has been 10 days to the day my daughter died,” the veterinarian’s father said Friday. “I express my gratitude towards the police and government for this. My daughter’s soul must be at peace now.”

Still frame taken from December 6, 2019 video shows various policemen and officials standing at a spot where police shot dead…
Still frame taken from Dec. 6, 2019, video shows policemen and officials standing at a spot where police shot to death four men suspected of raping a veterinary doctor, in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Outrage

Protests, outrage, calls for swift justice and even lynching have engulfed India over the alleged gang rape and murder in Hyderabad, in the state of Telangana.

The crime brought back memories of the gang rape of a young physiotherapy student seven years ago that turned the spotlight on sexual violence against women in India.

The veterinarian left her home one evening and her charred remains were found the next morning.

Authorities say she had talked with her sister to say she had a flat tire near a highway toll booth on the outskirts of the city and that a truck driver had stopped to help fix it.

Police say four men dragged her to an isolated spot near a motorway, where they allegedly took turns raping her. Authorities say the suspects later set her body on fire, wrapped it in a blanket and dumped it under a bridge, where it was found by a passer-by.

Laws tightened, little changed

India tightened laws in the aftermath of the 2012 gang rape of the physiotherapy student in New Delhi, doubling prison terms for rapists, but it appears to have done little to stem brutal sexual assaults of women.

According to the latest government figures, 33,658 cases were reported in 2017, an average of more than 90 incidents every day.

Women activists say the actual number is much higher because many cases are never reported.