Hyderabad, Dec 2 (IANS): There was no let up in protests over the gruesome gang-rape and murder of a woman veterinarian in Hyderabad last week.

Protests were held for a third consecutive day in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, demanding death penalty for the four accused in the case, which has sent shock waves across the state.

Amid growing clamour for hanging the accused, various organisations staged protests in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana and in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

Concerned citizens, women's groups, youth and students are participating in the protests to demand that the accused be awarded capital punishment without any delay.

The 25-year-old veterinarian was gang-raped and murdered by four truck drivers and cleaners near a toll gate on Outer Ring Road at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad on November 27.

According to police, they trapped the victim by deflating one of the tyres of her scooty when she had reached the toll gate around 9 p.m. to pick up her vehicle which she had parked earlier before boarding a cab to visit a dermatologist in the city.

After killing the victim, they carried the body in their truck near Shadnagar town and set it ablaze.

Students from various colleges in the city participated in the protest organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyardhi Parishad (ABVP) at Dharna Chowk. They demanded death sentence for the accused.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) held separate protests.

Several women's organisations also held protests across the state. Students took out rallies in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and other places in Andhra.

Cyberabad police on November 29 arrested all four accused and the next day a magistrate in Shadnagar town sent them to judicial custody.

The accused are currently lodged in Cherlapally Jail in Hyderabad.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Sunday directed officials to conduct trial in a fast-track court and ensure that the accused get stringent punishment.