Killing rape suspects unlawfully is not justice

To read reports of rape suspects getting killed by “vigilantes” or in “shootouts” with law enforcing agencies is as equally disturbing as reading reports of rapes. We need to stop celebrating the murder of rape suspects, or any suspected criminal for that matter. Without due process, it's difficult to determine who committed a crime.

Some might think that such killings are dispensing justice by circumventing the legal process, but not giving the accused a fair chance to defend himself is not justice.

Not only do such tactics undermine the rule of law and signal lawlessness in the country, but often also results in the miscarriage of justice. And, no matter how well-intentioned these extrajudicial killings might seem at a first glance, as previous incidents across the world and in our own country suggest, some may very well use the public rage against rapists or criminals to settle personal or political scores.

Therefore, we must not entertain the idea of unlawfully dispensing justice. Instead, we should call on the authorities to strengthen our rule of law and the legal system, and address the legal loopholes so that rape victims get proper justice.