Hyderabad: Taking a serious view of some news channels and social media sites disclosing the identity of a 25-year-old woman veterinarian, who was raped and murdered near here, besides airing images of the accused, the police have issued notices to them with a direction to stop it.
The Cyberabad police, probing the case, also said some print and electronic media also telecast and published documents related to the probe on news channels, papers and social media, which hampered the investigation. Hence they have issued notices under section 149 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) asking them to stop telecasting such content.
“Some TV news channels and social media users are continuously telecasting and posting photos of the victim, the accused and also the documents related to the investigation. We are talking to such TV channels and have issued notices asking them to stop telecasting it… also spoke to (representatives of) social media companies to delete such contents from their platforms,” a senior police official said Tuesday.
The charred body of the woman, working as an assistant veterinarian at a state-run hospital was found under a culvert in Shadnagar near here November 28 morning a day after she went missing. Four men, all lorry workers have been arrested in the case and sent to judicial custody.
Subsequently, the Cyberabad Police had appealed to the media not to telecast continuously programmes on the gruesome murder of the woman and avoid use of her name as it suggested the hashtag ‘#Justice for Disha’ in the social media.
The media has been requested to stop forthwith further telecasting of video clippings, photographs of the accused and investigative documents in order to avoid hampering collection of evidence during the course of investigation and also prevent any cognisable offence in the interest of justice. Section 149 of the CrPC empowers police officers to prevent cognisable offences.
A cognisable offence is an act where police can make arrest without a warrant.
PTI
