On December 6, all the four accused in the of Hyderabad veterinarian’s rape and murder were killed in a police encounter.
This has led to a discussion as to whether is encounter was staged or not. While this seems like the family has gotten justice (thank god), are ‘encounters‘ really the way to handle such cases?
Yes, this did seem like strong action was taken, but it did seem like the encounter was just for show. It would probably not have happened had there not been such widespread anger against such a crime.
There are estimated 90 rape cases happening every day in India, and some of them may be just as deadly yet, they never make headlines and the rapists walk free. It’s the survivors who have to pay the price.
So, the question is, was the encounter really a victory? Or, with all due respect, was this a stunt to win the hearts of people and to hide the inefficiency of the police?
An encounter simply does not cut the injustice that many other rape survivors are facing. This just seems like a consolation prize, like saying “sorry hum baaki ke rape cases me inefficient the, lekin yeh lo ek encounter to end your anger” (We’re sorry for our inefficiency in other rape cases, but take this encounter to end your anger.)
The fight is not against rapists anymore but against the mentality and ignorance of people. It’s against people like Daniel Shravan who think that rape is just a corrective method against “adamant bitches” and those on the verge of being raped should give condoms to their molesters so they aren’t murdered. And most importantly, it’s against those who dismiss rape cases thinking that this the survivor’s fault and go on to treat rape as not being a big deal.
There are many other cases to solve, and the encounter wasn’t a victory.