Let’s get reel: Was an ‘encounter’ the right way out?

Following the outrage over the rape and immolation of the Hyderabad vet (given the name of Disha to protect her identity), the film industry reacted angrily, and many sought swift action.

Could this demand for speedy justice have undermined due judicial process, and emboldened the police to kill the accused in the wee hours of the morning?

The killing, in what the police describe as an ‘encounter,’ is being celebrated in Hyderabad and elsewhere, and V C Sajjanar, the Hubballi-origin policeman who led the operations, is being hailed as a hero.

At many places in Telangana, Sajjanar was the recipient of an unusual honour: people poured milk on his cutouts and posters in an abhisheka ritual usually performed on deities and movie stars.

At least three Kannada papers, all supportive of the government, headlined their report ‘Sajjanarinda durjanara samhaara (‘The good vanquish the evil’).

Amid all the euphoria, questions are being asked about the wisdom of pandering to mass sentiment at the cost of judicial procedure.

The very same police who did not register an FIR, citing jurisdiction, are now being cheered. At the same time, the delays and shortcoming of the criminal justice system have also come in for criticism.

Last week, the victim of the Unnao rape case was set on fire when she was on the way to a court. She was flown to Delhi, but died soon after.

Here is how prominent people, with a connection to the movie industry, have reacted to the Hyderabad crime, and the developments in its wake.