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HC asks Andhra govt to declare if top Maoist leader RK is dead or alive
The Hyderabad high court on Monday asked the Andhra Pradesh government to declare whether the dreaded CPI (Maoist) central committee member Akkiraju Haragopal alias Ramakrishna alias RK is dead or alive in the custody of the police.
The Hyderabad high court on Monday asked the Andhra Pradesh government to declare whether the dreaded CPI (Maoist) central committee member Akkiraju Haragopal alias Ramakrishna alias RK is dead or alive in the custody of the police.
The high court admitted a petition filed by Ramakrishna’s wife Sirisha alias Padmakka, who alleged that her husband was injured in the October 24 encounter in Malkangiri forest of Odisha, and captured by the Andhra Pradesh police.
She expressed apprehension that the police might kill him in a fake encounter after torturing him.
Read | Maoist leader missing since Malkangiri encounter may be in ‘custody’
The high court observed that the right to life was applicable to all people, irrespective of whether they were Maoists or common citizens. It wondered why there was so much confusion with regards to the Maoist leader and why so much time was being taken to get the details of the encounter.
Asking the police not to cause any harm to the life of RK, if he was really in their custody, the court posted the case to Thursday for further hearings and directed that the government submit a comprehensive report on the encounter.
Read | Malkangiri encounter: 3 more Maoists killed by security forces, toll rises to 27
Apart from Sirisha, various people’s organisations like Telangana Democratic Front also alleged that the police had captured RK alive and were torturing him.
Telangana Joint Action Committee leader M Kodandaram also alleged on Monday that RK was in police custody and demanded that he be produced in the court of law.
As many as 30 Maoists were killed in one of the biggest encounters of the Maoist movement at Malkangiri forests of Odisha.
