We seem to be losing it as a society, rues actor Akshay Kumar while expressing annoyance over the alleged rape and murder of a veterinary doctor on Thursday in Telangana's Ranga Reddy district.
The burnt body of the doctor was discovered late last night and following a preliminary probe, the police suspected that the slain vet was sexually assaulted too.
Condemning the grisly incident, Akshay recalled the "gut-wrenching Nirbhaya case" in a tweet he shared on Friday.
He maintained a firm stance on the need for tough, strict laws in order to avoid such events, adding, "We need stricter laws. This needs to STOP!"
Actor Farhan Akhtar too pointed out the dark reality of "how unsafe" is our society even after several of such incidents have come to light in the past.
"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 tweeted.
Adding a mention of the minor allegedly involve, writing, "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."
Richa Chaddha too extended condolences to the victim's family writing on how those "perpetrators" deceived the late vet by promising to "fix her scooty".
"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 the family," she tweeted.
"The horror! The brutality! Perpetrators must be brought to book. I grieve for her family and for what is happening to some elements in our society," tweeted Shabana Azmi.
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar too batted for a "stringent punishment" for the heinous crime.
"I feel numb and deeply anguished to read about the inhuman crime against Doctor Priyanka Reddy. The culprits should be given Stringent punishment for this heinous crime," he tweeted.
The gruesome episode has rocked the nation with women activists, doctors demanding strict action over the murder.
However, Hyderabad Police has arrested the accused involved in the alleged rape and murder. Moreover, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
( With inputs from ANI )