It is a divided house, as defenders and critics react strongly to the killing of all the four accused involved in the rape and murder of a 25-year-old veterinarian in Hyderabad, in the wee hours of Friday. Yesterday, India woke up to their phones pinging with WhatsApp messages about the news of the police encounter, in which the men were shot dead by the police in a cross-fire.

Anita Shetty, an activist who recently organised a protest with several others in Kurla over the rape and murder of the veterinarian, said, "I got the news on a WhatsApp group, and I said to myself: Well, thank God this has happened. At least 99 per cent of the people on the chat group had similar sentiments, and I think justice has been served. Whether this was a fake encounter or a genuine one, it is, I think immaterial now. I think Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao should be applauded, he must have been in the know about Friday's event."