Priyanka Reddy rape: Bollywood expresses outrage

With outrage over the gang-rape of Dr Priyanka Reddy reaching a boiling point in India, actors are now throwing their weight behind securing justice for the young veterinarian who was brutally assaulted and charred to death in Hyderabad on November 27. Stars including Rishi Kapoor, Salman Khan and Richa Chadda took to their social media accounts to express their collective rage, with some demanding capital punishment to the rapists who have now confessed to the assault and murder. Here’s a look at a few of the reactions.

SALMAN KHAN: The Dabangg 3 actor, who trivialised rape during the promotions of his blockbuster Sultan, came hard on the perpetrators who gang-raped Dr Priyanka Reddy. Calling the four perpetrators ‘shaitans’ [demons], he called for a united action. “Just reading about the horrific #PriyankaReddy gangrape case. Numbed & shocked that as a society we continue to display our brutality! Instead of our humanity uniting us across religious & creed divisions, it seems our monstrosity unites us! Shame!!! #JusticeForPriyankaReddy … These r the worst kind of shaitans disguised in the human form! The pain, torture n death of innocent women like nirbhaya n Priyanka Reddy should now get us together n put an end to such shaitans who live among us, before any other innocent woman and their family go through this extreme agony n loss as this has to be stopped. Let betii bachao not be just a campaign. This is the time to let these demons know that v all stand together. May Priyanka’s soul rest in peace #JusticeForPriyankaReddy.”

AKSHAY KUMAR: The Bollywood action hero demanded stricter laws against rape in India. “Whether it is #PriyankaReddy in Hyderabad, #Roja in Tamil Nadu or the law student gangraped in Ranchi,we seem to be losing it as a society. It has been 7 yrs to the gut-wrenching #Nirbhaya case & our moral fabric continues to be in pieces.We need stricter laws.This needs to STOP!,” he tweeted.

ABHISHEK BACHCHAN: The son of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan called for accountability and faster punishment against those criminals. He tweeted: “When will this stop??? Sickened to read about #DrPriyankaReddy Prayers with her family and near & dear ones. We can’t and we mustn’t go on like this. Something has to be done. And fast!!! #RIPPriyanakaReddy.”

RICHA CHADHA: The actress did not mince words and wrote: “Her only crime was she trusted these men who promised to fix her scooty. Perpetrators are given the harshest punishment, they don’t belong in society. They won her trust and then brutalised her. Treated her like a thing, not a human being. Condolences to family #priyanakareddy.”

FARHAN AKHTAR: Calling the brutal gangrape of Priyanka Reddy a grim reminder of how unsafe India remains, Akhtar wrote a series of tweets including: “What those men did to #Priyanka_Reddy is another dark reminder of how unsafe we’ve allowed our society to become by not delivering swift and telling justice in these cases..! Heart goes out to her family in their hours of unimaginable grief”. He also pointed out that even if the perpetrators are minors, they shouldn’t be let off with a softer punishment. “And what is going to be done about the minor allegedly involved if found guilty..? For what it’s worth, I feel that if you’re old enough to knowingly commit a crime this brutal, you’re old enough to face real consequences”.

YAMI GAUTAM: The actress, who played a visually-challenged rape victim in Kaabil, wondered out loud if the rapists had no fear for the law. “Anger, sorrow ,shock … how could these inhuman, unimaginable crimes against women still happen despite such strong uproar & awareness ! Do these demons have no fear of punishment or law? Where are we going wrong & lagging behind as a system & as a society? #JusticeForPriyankaReddy.”