HUBBALLI, DHARWAD: As news of the killing of the four Hyderabad rape-murder accused in Telangana started trickling in on Friday morning, Hubballi in North Karnataka, hundreds of kilometers away, erupted in joy. The man who led the team, Cyberabad Police Commissioner Vishwanath Sajjanar, is a ‘son of the soil’, hailing from Hubballi in Dharwad district. The family has roots in Gadag district.
Sajjanar is not new to encounters. Prior to Friday’s encounter, he had ‘eliminated’ three youths for allegedly throwing acid on two engineering college students in Warangal district of then united Andhra Pradesh in December 2008.
In 2016, when he was serving as Inspector General-Special Intelligence Branch and dealing with Naxals, he played a vital role in the encounter killing of notorious Maoist renegade Mohammed Nayeemuddin in August that year at Shadnagar. He was appointed Cyberabad Police Commissioner last year by the Telangana government.
The gang-rape and murder of veterinary doctor Disha November 27 shocked the country. Two days later, all the four accused were nabbed by the police, but the public sentiment seemed to be in favour of retributory justice. Crowds had even swarmed the police station where the accused were being held.
Referring to Friday’s killing, activists and advocates in Bengaluru termed it as a knee-jerk reaction.
Legal researcher Leah Verghese said, “The incident needs to be thoroughly investigated to determine if it is an extra-judicial killing. Let us not forget that the men who were killed were not charged or tried.”
Senior advocate B T Venkatesh said, “It is cold-blooded murder by the police.”But there were others with diametrically opposite views. “Law, politicians, police and human rights will not come to the rescue of women. I welcome the encounter,” said senior advocate Pramila Nesargi. “Real justice had been served,” was a common sentiment among social media users.
Vishwanath Sajjanar graduated in MBA from Kousali Institute of Management Studies under Karnatak University in Dharwad. He worked with his father, C B Sajjanar, a tax consultant in the city, even as he nursed a dream of taking the UPSC exam, which he cleared in 1996 and joined the IPS.
Sajjanar has not contacted his family members after Friday’s encounter, his older brother Dr Mallikarjun Sajjanar, a medical practitioner, told TNIE Dr Mallikarjun received a steady stream of guests at the family residence as well as calls from well-wishers all through the day.
“Many people are calling up to speak about the incident and are congratulating us. (But) I do not want to comment as it is a sensitive issue,” Mallikarjun says. “As a citizen of the country, I am happy with the decision of the police. My brother is an active police officer, whose services have been recognised.”
As news of the encounter spread, relatives and friends made a beeline to the Sajjanar residence in Hubballi to congratulate the family members and express their happiness over the “accused meeting the the fate they deserved”.
A Dharwad hotelier decided to offer 40% discount for police personnel and their family members for one month as a mark of respect for the rape victim Disha and the Telangana police.
Rajesh Shinde, owner of Ashoka The Great Restaurant, said, “It is a small gift from our side to the brave police officers. I am doing this as a token of respect. Any person from the police department can avail the offer up to one month. It is a moment of pride as the police have delivered justice on the spot.”
Members of several women’s organisations and workers of political parties celebrated the killing in Hubballi.
‘POLICE ACTED AS PER SITUATION’
Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the Telangana police seemed to have acted as per the demands of the situation. If the accused had managed to flee, everybody would have targeted the police, he remarked. Prima facie, it seems the police have taken the right steps. It is also a warning to those who indulge in such heinous crimes, he added.
‘Encounter was inevitable’
CM BS Yediyurappa said, “The accused tried to attack and escape when they were taken to the place of crime. So the encounter was inevitable to save the policemen’s lives.’’