Hyderabad veterinarian's rape, murder: Parents of accused, gripped by fear and shock, struggle to come to terms with situation

Hyderabad: Fear and shock have gripped the families of the accused in the brutal rape and murder of a woman veterinarian as they struggle to come to terms with the  situation. The family of the three accused Mohammad alias Areef, Chennakesavulu and Siva are shell-shocked on hearing about the alleged involvement of their kin in the incident that has sparked a national outrage.

Caught in sudden public glare and aware of the sentiments against their wards, their parents, hailing from a poor financial background, said appropriate punishment should be given to their sons. “You give whatever punishment. I have a daughter too,” the mother of Chennakesavulu, one of the four accused, told mediapersons in their native village in Telangana. “You hang him, kill him or shoot him dead. Will you listen if I say I want my son back? Won’t the others say that if you (mother) have so much pain, would not the burnt woman have the same pain, she said.

She was responding to questions about the demand that the accused be hanged to death. The woman claimed Chennakesavulu has not been taking up any work in view of his poor health for the last six months. Maintaining that they led a disciplined life, another family member of Chennvakesavulu said they were not able to face people after the incident.  The mother of another accused Siva also said any appropriate punishment should be given to him for his crime. “You do anything. God only knows”, she said.

The parents of the first accused Mohammad said their son had come home on the night (November 28) and told them that an accident had happened. “You do anything (award punishment) to him,” the mother of Mohammad said. The families of the accused said they make their living through modest means.

The four accused, all lorry workers, aged between 20 and 24, were arrested on 29 November for their alleged involvement in the gruesome incident and remanded in judicial custody on Saturday. Protests were held here and at various other places in Telangana against the incident on Saturday with the enraged  public demanding that the accused be handed out stringent punishment of death penalty.