Global media gives prominent coverage to police action in Hyderabad rape-murder case
Washington/London: The death of all the four accused in the sensational rape and murder of a young veterinarian in Hyderabad on Friday received prominent coverage in the world media which highlighted the enormous public support while also drawing attention to concerns over the extra-judicial executions.
All four men arrested on November 29 for allegedly raping and killing the 25-year-old woman by smothering her and later burning her body were shot dead by police on Friday during a pre-dawn exchange of fire near Hyderabad, a top police official said.
The Washington Post in a detailed report said the deaths sparked praise in some quarters in a country that has grappled with a series of gruesome crimes against women and girls. But activists and lawyers said the shootings bore the hallmarks of extrajudicial killings.
Killings by police of suspected criminals are so widespread in India that they have their own terminology. Such incidents are known as "encounter" killings, and the officers involved typically state that they acted in self-defense. But activists say that in practice, police officers enjoy broad impunity and that the killings are not followed by thorough investigations, the report said.
Terming it as one of India's "most troubling" rape cases of recent months, The New York Times noted that the chilling incident was brought to a sudden and shocking end on Friday.
"The officers are being hailed as heroes, and were showered with rose petals by residents who thronged the streets of Hyderabad to celebrate what they saw as an act of swift retribution for a horrific crime. So many people poured into the streets on Friday to celebrate that traffic was brought to a standstill," it said.
The woman's charred remains were found near a highway underpass on November 27, sparking nationwide outrage and protests in several major cities including Bengaluru and New Delhi. Many of the demonstrators carried placards and chanted slogans demanding the death penalty for the suspects, the CNN reported.
News of the police action has been widely celebrated on social media. Many took to Twitter and Facebook to applaud the police, saying they had "delivered justice", wrote the BBC.
Rape and sexual violence against women have been in focus in India since the December 2012 gang-rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in the capital, Delhi. But there has been no sign that crimes against women are abating, the British public broadcaster noted.
The rape and murder case prompted a wave of public vitriol across India, with thousands taking to the streets in protest over the week and calls from politicians and the public for the men to be lynched, The Guardian said in its report.
The killing of the suspects proved highly divisive in India, with some celebrating it as "quick justice" while others condemned the police appearing to take the law into their own hands, it said.
High-profile cases of violence against women have provoked fury in India. Thousands of people took to the streets across the country on Monday to protest the brutal attack in Hyderabad, said The Telegraph.
"Activists have called for rape cases to be fast-tracked through the courts and for tougher sentences," it said.
Hundreds took to the streets in protest around the country demanding justice. The men could not appear in court after crowds surrounded a police station, demanding they be handed over to be lynched, British daily The Times reported.
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Amethi to not have contender from Gandhi family for first time in 25 years
New Delhi (PTI): Uttar Pradesh's Amethi has long been synonymous with the Gandhis and it would be the first time in 25 years that a Gandhi family member will not be contesting election from the Lok Sabha seat.
Considered a citadel of the Gandhi family since its creation as a constituency in 1967, Amethi has been represented by a Gandhi family member for about 31 years since then.
The Congress fortress was breached in the last general election in 2019 when BJP's Smriti Irani beat Rahul Gandhi by more than 55,000 votes.
This time, Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha election from the Rae Bareli seat, while Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat.
Sharma was the key person who looked after the two prestigious constituencies on behalf of the Gandhis.
The last time a non-Gandhi was in the fray from the constituency was in 1998, when Satish Sharma, a close aide of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, contested the polls but lost to the BJP's Sanjaya Sinh.
Sonia Gandhi reclaimed the seat in 1999 routing Singh by over 3 lakh votes.
In 2004, Sonia shifted to the adjacent Rae Bareli constituency to make way for her son Rahul Gandhi.
Rahul won the constituency for three consecutive terms in 2004, 2009 and 2014.
Contesting for the fourth time in 2019, he lost to Smriti Irani, who hit the headlines as a 'giant killer'.
Amethi is one of the 80 parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh and comprises five assembly segments — Tiloi, Salon, Jagdishpur, Gauriganj, and Amethi.
Over the past few years, the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Bahujan Samaj Party have emerged as the three main players in the constituency.
Its first Member of Parliament was Vidya Dhar Bajpai of the Congress who was elected in 1967 and held the seat in the next election in 1971.
In the 1977 election, Ravindra Pratap Singh of the Janata Party became an MP from the seat defeating former prime minister Indira Gandhi's younger son Sanjay Gandhi.
Sanjay Gandhi had his electoral revenge three years later when he defeated Singh in the 1980 general election.
Later that year, Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash and the seat fell vacant. In the consequent by-election held in 1981, Sanjay's brother Rajiv Gandhi scored a landslide victory from the seat, defeating his closest rival by more than 2 lakh votes.
Rajiv Gandhi went on to represent this constituency until 1991 when he was assassinated by the militant group LTTE.
The subsequent by-election held the same year was won by Satish Sharma, a close aide of Rajiv Gandhi and later Sonia Gandhi.
Sharma was re-elected in 1996 but lost to BJP's Sanjaya Sinh in 1998.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Irani won the Amethi seat with a margin of over 55,000 votes, polling 4,68,514 votes. Rahul Gandhi got 4,13,394 votes.
In 2014, Rahul Gandhi won the Amethi seat for the third time in a row, polling 4,08,651 votes to Irani's 3,00,748 votes.
BSP candidate Dharmendra Pratap Singh came third with 57,716 votes and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Dr Kumar Vishwas was in fourth position with 25,527 votes.
The Amethi and Rae Bareli seats will go to polls on May 20 in the fifth of the seven-phase general election.
Ending days of suspense, the party announced the candidates from the two seats early Friday.
Deliberations had been on in the party since Thursday over the names of the contenders for the two seats.
The BJP had on Thursday announced Dinesh Pratap Singh as its candidate from Rae Bareli. He had lost to Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
