Nirbhaya's parents welcome encounter; Tharoor cautions against extra-judicial killings

New Delhi: Amid questions being raised on circumstances surrounding the encounter deaths on Friday of the four accused in the gang rape and murder case of the veterinarian in Hyderabad, Nirbhaya's parents welcomed the move while Congress leader Shashi Tharoor struck a note of caution.

The mother of Nirbhaya, the 23-year-old paramedic student who died days after being gang raped in December 2012, appealed to authorities to not punish the policemen involved in the encounter.

Nirbhaya's father also welcomed the encounter and said the family's wait for justice ended early.

"The family of the Hyderabad doctor will not have to wait for justice for seven years like us. Police did the right thing," he said.

Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor, however, said extra judicial killings were not acceptable.

"Agree in principle. We need to know more, for instance if the criminals were armed, the police may have been justified in opening fire preemptively. Until details emerge we should not rush to condemn. But extra-judicial killings are otherwise unacceptable in a society of laws," he tweeted.

Rekha Sharma, National Commission for Women chief, said she was happy that the perpetrators were dead, but justice should have been done through proper legal channels, she said.