Mixed reactions have been floating over social media and news reports over the encounter killing of the four convicts accused of the rape and murder of the 26 yr old Veterinarian in Hyderabad.  The incident, which was uncovered on November 28, was sort of settled today in the wee hours of the morning.

“Cyberabad Police had brought the accused persons to the crime spot for re-construction of the sequence of events. The accused snatched weapon and fired on Police. In self defence the police fired back, in which the accused were killed,” news agency ANI reported DCP Shamshabad Prakash Reddy as saying.

Telangana Police took custody of the four accused on Thursday, December 5 subsequent to the court ordering a 7 day police custody on December 4. As the interrogation proceeded, the police took the four accused Jollu Shiva, Mohammad Arif, Jollu Naveen Kumar Chintakunta Keshavulu to the scene of the crime to recreate the incident at 3:30am today.

"They (accused) snatched weapons from police and fired on police and tried to escape... police fired in retaliation in which the four accused died," a senior police official told PTI.

As per information provided by the police, it was then that the four were shot down after they tried to escape and did not heed to police warnings. The shooting happened at 6:30am.

An official of the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate, who confirmed the incident, said the encounter took place around 3.30 am under a bridge on the Bengaluru-Hyderabad national highway near Chattanpalli village at Shadnagar.This is the same place where the accused had committed the crime on the night of November 27 and the charred body of the victim was found the next morning.

A 1996 batch IPS Officer, Cyberabad Commissioner Sajjanar has been in the central role in two incidents 11 years apart - one when he helmed the Warangal Police who effected the Acid attack encounter and the other today, when he helmed the rapist encounter incident in Hyderabad.  Both with precision and effective.  Read on how the two incidents were effected with eerie similarity and precision...

Sajjanar's comment in December 2008 on the encounter of the acid attackers...

"...police team had taken the accused to the place where they had hidden the stolen motorbike and the acid bottle used in the attack. They suddenly took out a country-made weapon and tried to open fire and also threw acid on policemen. The police opened fire in self-defence, killing all the three accused..."

Sajjanar's comment today on the Hyderabad encounter of the accused who gang raped and killed a 26 year old veterinarian...

"... all the four accused got together, they started attacking the police party with stones, sticks, and other material. And they also they snatched away weapons from our two officers and started firing"

Political Leaders and the public in general have come out with mixed reactions on the incident – which is recreating a Bollywood script.

Ritu Raj, a Senior Journalist and Social Activist from Udaipur had this to say..."The police had no alternative but to fire as the rapists tried to abscond taking the weapon with them. The police was facing immense public pressure due to the sensitivity of the case. It is an obvious action and right action that the police team has taken. The accused created teh circumstances for themselves.  On the other hand, it was not it was not a well planned encounter, as the criminals tried to abscond after stealing the weapon. If anybody is saying that it is planned or any so called Human Right issue then let us ask such so called activists that how they would feel if such criminals cut their body parts brutally and observe them with joy. How would such pseudo Human Right Claimers feel during brutal torture? This is only the way and solution to stop such heinous crimes in India and all over the world."

Though the general public is reacting openly, public figures are more cautious in their approach.

Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti praised the police who executed the encounter and suggested that they be awarded.  Uma Bharti termed it the biggest incident of the year and said that it will guarantee women safety.  “I can now believe that people in governance in other states will find ways to teach criminals an immediate lesson,” she said. “Grief of the family whose daughter went away from the world after suffering mercilessness will never be alleviated, but that sister’s (rape victim) soul will find peace and the fear among other girls of India will be lessened. Jai Telangana Police,” she added.

BJP leader and former Union Minister for Sports, Rajyavardhan Rathore, who is also an ex-army officer praised the work done by the police and said that this will set a precedent in the country.  “I congratulate the Hyderabad police and the leadership that allows the police to act like the police. Let all know this is the country where good will always prevail over evil (Disclaimer for holier than thou- police acted swiftly in self-defence) #Encounter #hyderabadpolice,” Rathore tweeted.

On the other hand, another BJP leader Maneka Gandhi said that the action by the police was not correct and that the police cannot take the law into their own hands.  She added… “Jo bhi hua hai bohot bhayanak hua hai is desh ke liye (what happened is really bad for the country). .. you cannot kill people because you want to. You cannot take law in your hands, they (accused) would have been hanged by Court anyhow.”

BSP supremo Mayawati commended the action taken by the Telangana Police and in the same breadth also condemned the attitude of the Yogi Adityanath led UP government. She said in her interaction with media that Yogi’s government was not doing enough for women safety in the state. She added that the criminals in UP are treated as state guests and that the state is under Jungle Raj.

Nirbhaya’s mother, who is still waiting for justice to be delivered for her deceased daughter after the December 2012 incident in Delhi congratulated the police, saying “I am extremely happy with this punishment. Police have done a great job and I demand that no action should be taken against the police personnel,” as per ANI.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was more cautious in his approach and in his trademark style, said “We should not rush to condemn until details emerge,“  as per ANI.

Rekha Sharma, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women said that though she was happy that the end of the culprits was what everyone really wanter, they however should have been brought to justice through the legal channel.