The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday ordered an investigation into the deaths in police action of four men who had been arrested in the case of the gang-rape and murder of a veterinary doctor in Telangana.
Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports that the four accused were killed by the police early on Friday, the NHRC said the incident required investigation.
The Commission asked its Director-General (investigation) to send a team to the scene of the incident around 60 km from Hyderabad. The team would be headed by a Senior Superintendent of Police and would submit its report at the earliest.
‘Matter of concern’
“The accused had been arrested by the police during investigation, and a judgment in the matter by the competent court was yet to be pronounced. If, the arrested persons were actually guilty, they were to be punished as per law pursuant to the directions of the competent court,” the NHRC said.
The deaths of the accused was a matter of concern, the NHRC said.
“The Commission is aware that growing incidents of sexual assault and violence against the women has created an atmosphere of fear and anger amongst the public at large but loss of human lives even of a person arrested by the police under law, in such circumstances, would definitely give a wrong message to the society,” the NHRC said.
Earlier, on December 2, the NHRC had taken cognisance of the increasing cases of sexual assault of women, including the Hyderabad case, and had issued notices to the Centre and state governments.
“The Commission has already expressed its view that there is lack of Standard Operating Procedure to immediately respond to the panic situations by the police authorities. The Commission has been insisting upon all law enforcing agencies to keep human rights angle in their view while dealing with the persons arrested by them or being kept in their custody,” the NHRC said.
