Calls for justice grew stronger on social media for the veterinarian who was brutally charred to death on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru National Highway on Thursday.
Following the incident, netizens took to Twitter to express their rage. Hundreds of tweets called for capital punishment for the accused. A few of them even recalled the Nirbhaya case and questioned the status of the case after several years.
Here are some of the tweets from politicians, actors and netizens:
Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao expressed confidence that Telangana police will crack the case and justice will be served at the earliest.
"Outraged and deeply anguished by the murder. I am confident that @TelanganaDGP & the police will catch the animals who committed this heinous crime & deliver justice at the earliest. I’ll personally monitor the case too. Anyone in distress, please dial 100," he tweeted.
Former Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu expressed heartfelt condolences for the victim's family, calling for strict punishment.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad police also tweeted safety measures for women/ senior citizens and requested them to reach out to police for assistance during odd hours. They also tweeted about the 'Hawkeye' app which helps users to share their location status with police and other confidantes.
Political leaders also called for action against the perpetrators.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted his outrage: "I'm shocked to hear about the brutal rape & murder in Hyderabad. How anyone could subject another human being to such terrible, unprovoked violence is beyond imagination. My thoughts & prayers are with the victim's family at this time of immense grief."
G Kishan Reddy of BJP tweeted that he was "left distraught by the cowardly act of violating & setting on fire of a doctor, near Shamshabad, resulting in her death. I demand immediate probe & stringent action against those found guilty. I shall talk to @TelanganaDGP & take stock of the findings in this matter,"
Reactions from the film fraternity
Allu Sirish tweeted, "I am extremely sad, angry and then feel helpless. I hope our collective anger results in justice for her, but also ensures more safety measures for women."
Chinmayi Sripaada raised a different concern: "The outcome of the vet being burned in Hyderabad yesterday. Girls are asked to stay home. Girls need to stop classes, hobbies, whatever they may do after work just so that they don’t get raped. If this is not screwed up, I don't know what is."
Hours after the vet went missing on Wednesday evening on her way back home from work, she informed her sister that she had a flat tyre and some strangers tried to help her. That was the last time the family heard from the vet before her body was found on the national highway on Thursday morning.