K Keshava Rao expresses surprise over encounter

Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Parliamentary Party leader and Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao on Friday said they thought justice in the woman veterinarian rape and murder case would be delivered through a special court.

He expressed surprise over the alleged encounter of the accused.

"Whatever government has to do (with regard to the encounter) it will do. (Those) four persons were killed and the people are happy. The question is if the punishment comes through the court it would have been better," Keshava Rao told reporters in New Delhi.

"We have appointed fast-track court for the trial of the case. We thought that the judgement (from the special court) would have come in a month's time," he added. He said "we never thought that they would try to escape and this (encounter) would happen."

Asked whether they were intentionally encountered, he said "that is your view."

Whether the government would order an inquiry into the encounter, he said "they must be doing it."

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State unit chief spokesperson K Krishna Saagar Rao said, "BJP feels it is still premature to react on the incident.

The Telangana DGP should make an official statement outlining the entire incident timeline." As a responsible national party, the BJP will react only after the official police statement, he added.

"Disha gangrape and murder is a horrendous crime and BJP has condemned it and as a responsible opposition party has also pressured the Telangana government to act and bring the accused to justice," he said in a statement.

However, India is not a banana republic and is bound by legal and constitutional framework. Politics over crime cannot set a right precedent, Rao added.