HDK bats for encounter killing of Mysuru gang-rape accused

Former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday suggested that the police should shoot and kill those who gang-raped a student in Mysuru, citing the example of what the Hyderabad police did two years ago.

"Culprits in a sexual assault case usually get a jail time and then secure bail. This is not effective to curb such crimes. The government here should take similar action that the Hyderabad police did," Kumaraswamy told reporters.

In 2019, four persons accused of gang-rape were shot dead in an encounter by the Hyderabad police.

Read | Karnataka DGP to supervise probe into Mysuru gang rape case

Kumaraswamy said the government had to put stringent regulations in place to curb drinking in deserted areas. "This is a lapse on part of the government. Deserted areas should be monitored and people should not be allowed to drink in public like that. The government has failed to curb illegal activities even in rural areas," he said, referring to reports that the accused in the Mysuru case were consuming alcohol in the place where the crime happened.

Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy's statement drew sharp criticism on social media. Supreme Court advocate KV Dhananjay tweeted, "Sri HD Kumaraswamy wants the police to encounter the Mysore rapists just like, he says, ‘the Andhra Pradesh Police did it’. Well, it is the Telangana Police who did that. Isn’t it a criminal offence for a person to publicly demand that the police should murder an accused person?"

When he was chief minister, in December 2018, Kumaraswamy courted controversy for instructing officials to kill a person who was accused in the murder case of a JD(S) leader. He apologised following an outrage.