In the wee hours of December 6, 2019, the four accused in the veterinary doctor Preeti Reddy’s (name changed) murder and gang-rape were taken to Chattapally, reportedly to recreate the crime scene, where they were shot dead in an encounter when they reportedly tried to snatch weapons from the police. The Hyderabad gang-rape and murder case is being handled by the police commissioner of Cyberabad, VC Sajjanar, and it is not the first time he led such an operation. He was involved in a similar kind of encounter back in 2008.
On December 12, 2008, Warangal police had shot dead three persons accused of throwing acids on two girls. The two girls-Swapnika and Praneetha were attacked with acid by three men- S Srinivasa Rao, P Harikrishna and B Sanjay when they came out of their college. Later these three persons died in an encounter by the police. The police had then given a similar reason claiming they killed the culprits out of self-defence. VC Sajjan led the encounter who was then serving as the SP of Warangal police. According to the police, the trio was taken to a place near Muvunur to recreate the crime scene. The assailants pulled out a revolver and knives from a motorcycle they had hidden at the place and attacked police. The police, in retaliation, shot dead the three assailants.
In 2015, Telangana police had shot dead 5 people linked with SIMI and other radical organisations. The police then reasoned that the accused attacked the police escort while being brought to Hyderabad for a court hearing, near Pemburti at the border of Nalgonda-Warangal districts, 100 km away from Hyderabad.
According to the police, the accused had asked the police escort to stop to take a leak and while reboarding the bus, attempted to seize weapons from the police. The police said that all five of them were killed in self-defence. However, civil rights activists claimed that it was a rigged encounter to avenge the deaths of policemen who were killed a week back in Nalgonda district when two SIMI activists shot dead four policemen.
