Telangana Encounter: Maneka Gandhi Slams Police Even as BJP Leaders Express ‘Joy’

The Telangana BJP, too, reacted cautiously, saying that it was still premature to react and that the DGP should make an official statement outlining the entire incident

New Delhi: BJP MP Maneka Gandhi, as well as the Telangana unit of the party reacted cautiously, even as other leaders of the party on Friday went to town, congratulating the police on the encounter of the four accused in the Hyderabad gang-rape and murder, earlier today.

Reacting to the encounter, Krishna Sagar Rao, the spokesperson of the party’s Telangana unit, tweeted: “Hyderabad encounter incident is still premature to react. Telangana DGP should make an official statement outlining the entire incident. As a responsible national party, we will react after the official police statement.”

#HyderabadEncounter incident is still premature to react. #Telangana #DGP should make an official statement outlining the entire incident. As a responsible national party @BJP4Telangana will react after official police statement.

— Krishna Saagar Rao (@BJPKrishnasagar) December 6, 2019

In a statement, he further said, “India is not a banana republic and is bound by legal and constitutional frameworks. Politics over a crime cannot set the right precedence.”

Maneka Gandhi, BJP Lok Sabha MP and former union minister, however, was even more forthright, condemning the incident, and saying that no one has the right to take the law in their own hands. Speaking to media outside the House, she said, “Whatever happened is very terrifying. You cannot kill people because you want to. You cannot take law in your hands, they (accused) would have been hanged by court anyhow.”

“If you are going to shoot them before due process of law has been followed, then what’s the point of having courts, law and police?” she further questioned.

#WATCH Maneka Gandhi:Jo hua hai bohot bhayanak hua hai desh ke liye. You can't take law in your hands,they(accused) would've been hanged by Court anyhow. If you're going to shoot them before due process of law has been followed, then what's the point of having courts,law&police? pic.twitter.com/w3Fe2whr31

— ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2019

On the other hand, this is what the likes of Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore etc. tweeted:

कृते प्रतिकृतं कुर्यात् हिंसिते प्रतिहिंसनम्।
न तत्र दोषं पश्यामि, शठे शाठ्यं समाचरेत।

जो दूसरों के साथ दुर्व्यवहार करते हैं, उनके साथ भी वैसा ही व्यवहार किया जाना चाहिए। मुझे खुशी है कि न्याय जल्दी मिल गया। #JusticeForDisha pic.twitter.com/Xw3lThtqEZ

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) December 6, 2019

I congratulate the hyderabad police and the leadership that allows the police to act like police
Let all know this is the country where good will always prevail over evil
(Disclaimer for holier than thou- police acted swiftly in self defence)#Encounter#hyderabadpolice

— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) December 6, 2019

In dramatic early morning developments on Friday, the four accused were shot dead by the police when they tried to escape from custody from the crime scene, where they had been taken by the police to recreate the sequence of events on the night of the crime.

The victim’s family, however, has welcomed the encounter, thanking the police and remarking that her soul must be at peace now.