Disha’s family hails encounter

Hyderabad: The family of the veterinarian who was brutally raped and murdered on November 27 have hailed the “encounter” killing of Mohd Arif, Jollu Shiva, Jollu Naveen and Ch. Chennakesavulu, the four men who had been arrested for the crimes.

Her father told Deccan Chronicle at his residence on Friday: “True justice is impossible for us — our daughter will never come back. But today’s incident has alleviated some of our pain.”

The sister said, “I did not expect there would be an encounter. I thought a trial would go on for a few months and (perpetrators) would be sentenced to death. But today’s stringent punishment will help prevent similar crimes.”

“We have received justice. I thank the police, media and the residents of our colony for their support,” The mother of Disha, the name given to the vet to protect her identity, said, struggling to find words. Recalling the 2012 Delhi gangrape, she said, “I did not think we would ever get justice. Nirbhaya’s family still hasn’t got any justice. I told everyone nothing would happen, but Telangana police has proven me wrong.” . It was through television news channels that the family came to know on about the ‘encounter’. Visibly exhausted, Disha’s father asked a reporter, “I have said the same thing multiple times already?”

On what he thought of those criticising the encounter. “I won’t be able to comment on that. I leave it to their judgment,” he said.

Though the grief was palpable, there was also a sense of peace in the house. The family members, around 20 of them in total, were watching TV in the living room, flipping through news channels.

Satyapal Reddy, an uncle of Disha, said he was happy with the encounter of the four men. “I think no one is scared of the law. We are happy with what has happened,” he said.

Disha’s father said the family had still not completely processed her death. “It will be really hard to move on from this, but we have to. We are all in a depressed state right now,” he said.

He admitted that he was worried about his younger daughter who works at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. “She works at night. I am worried how she will go to her office every day. I am hoping I can request the government to change her shift timings. It will be of great help to us,” he said.