2019 Hyderabad gang rape and murder

On 27 November 2019, a 26-year-old veterinary assistant surgeon parked her scooter near the Tondupally toll plaza in Shamshabad, near Hyderabad, India. According to a Telangana Police remand report, four men — two lorry drivers and their assistants, who had reportedly been drinking — deflated her scooter's tire while she was away. When she returned and found the flat tire, the men offered to help before pushing her into nearby bushes, where they raped her and poured whiskey into her mouth to stop her screaming. She lost consciousness after the assault and was then smothered. Her body was transported roughly 27 km in the men's truck and burned under a bridge near the Shadnagar interchange using purchased fuel. Her charred remains were discovered on 28 November 2019 near Chatanpally Bridge in Shadnagar; a Ganesha locket found on the body helped her family identify her. Because Indian law bars publication of a rape victim's real name, media and police used the pseudonym "Disha."

Police arrested four suspects using CCTV footage, an eyewitness, and data from the victim's phone. They were remanded to Cherlapally Central Jail, and the Telangana Chief Minister ordered a fast-track court to try them. The case sparked nationwide protests demanding stricter anti-rape laws, and it was debated in both houses of the Indian Parliament, with some members calling for lynching or execution of the accused. The Home Affairs Ministry criticized the Telangana Police's initial response and pledged legal reforms.

The victim's family said police were slow to respond after her father reported her missing on the night of 27 November, and three police officers were later suspended for negligence. A second, separate half-burnt female corpse was found nearby around the same time; police said any connection to the case was unconfirmed.

On 6 December 2019, all four suspects were shot dead by police under a bridge on the Bengaluru-Hyderabad national highway. Police said the men were being taken for a crime-scene reconstruction when two of them snatched officers' weapons and opened fire, prompting police to shoot back in what they described as self-defense. The suspects were not handcuffs at the time, according to the police account. The killings prompted large public celebrations, including fireworks and crowds carrying officers on their shoulders, but also drew condemnation from rights groups such as Amnesty International India and Human Rights Watch, who called for independent investigation into a possible extrajudicial execution. The New York Times reported police had faced enormous pressure to bring the men to justice, and the BBC linked the celebratory reaction to public frustration with slow courts.

A re-postmortem was ordered by the Telangana High Court and conducted by AIIMS Delhi forensic experts. In May 2022, a Supreme Court-appointed Inquiry Commission led by former Justice V. S. Sirpurkar concluded the encounter had been staged and that the men were deliberately shot with intent to kill, recommending that the involved officers be tried for murder. The matter was transferred to the Telangana High Court, where litigation from the families of the deceased suspects remains pending.