Hyderabad encounter: A look at how Twitterati shifted narrative from due process, legal mechanisms to blood lust

The encounter killing of all the four accused in the gruesome gangrape and murder of a 26-year-old veterinarian in the wee hours of Friday morning came to light a few hours after the incident. While many politicians and activists raised pertinent questions about the circumvention of due process through extrajudicial killings, others wholeheartedly supported what they saw as retribution for the brutal incident.

Here’s a sample of some of the tweets that shaped the narrative around the Hyderabad Police’s actions:

Applauding the Hyderabad Police, BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje tweeted:

Former DGP of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Shesh Paul Vaidya, also congratulated the cops for taking down all accused in the encounter:

Well done boys- Telagana Police https://t.co/WTU5ZU7Wor

— Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) December 6, 2019

Lauding the Telangana Police, BJP leader Kapil Mishra said this was the “correct” way to deal with the rapists and hoped other states would take a cue:

Thank you Hyderabad Police 🙏

This is the way to deal with rapists.

Hope Police of other states will learn from you https://t.co/0C3EwgsFkg

— Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) December 6, 2019

Former Olympian and BJP MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore also didn’t hold back when expressing his appreciation for the “leadership” of the state police:

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

— Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) December 6, 2019

Badminton star Saina Nehwal too weighed in:

Great work #hyderabadpolice ..we salute u 🙏

— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) December 6, 2019

Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh praised the Telangana government and the state police:

Well done @TelanganaCMO and police for showing this is how it is done ✅ no one should dare doing something like this again in future #makeitsafeindia https://t.co/g8uDNiCCn6

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) December 6, 2019

Welcoming the action of the Cyberabad Police, especially ​Commissioner Vishwanath C Sajjanar, actor Vivek Oberoi, MP Ravi Kishan and cricketer-turned-politician Laxmi Ratan Shukla also heaped praise on the cops:

.Kudos to @TelanganaCMO and the @cyberabadpolice especially #VCSajjanar for delivering true justice swiftly and strongly! This sends a strong message to those monsters who break the law and hide behind the system. I am sure all such monsters are shaking with fear now! @cpcybd

— Vivek Anand Oberoi (@vivekoberoi) December 6, 2019

Justice ..thank u #IPS officers thank u #TelanganaPolice thank u thank u 🙏 pic.twitter.com/gXAiya50JX

— Ravi Kishan (@ravikishann) December 6, 2019

Meanwhile, filmmaker Ashoke Pandit urged the Delhi Police to take inspiration from their Telangana counterparts:

According to the police, the accused were killed in an exchange of fire which also saw two policemen sustaining injuries.

Th incident took place around 3.30 am on Friday, when the accused were taken to the site of the offence for reconstruction of the crime scene as a part of the investigation, a senior police official said.

“They (accused) snatched weapons from police and fired on police and tried to escape… police fired in retaliation in which the four accused died,” a senior police official told PTI.

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