The Telangana high court has directed the Mulug district police to preserve bodies of the seven Maoists killed in a gunfight with security forces on Sunday, after a non-profit organization moved the court alleging that the encounter was fake.
Hearing a lunch-motion petition, moved by not for profit organization Civil Liberties Committee, the court also ordered the police to allow families of the slain Maoists to view their bodies.
The petition, CLC general secretary, alleged that the police trapped the Maoists by lacing food with poison and tortured them. “After the Maoist lost consciousness, they were shot dead in the name of encounter,” Rao said.
He also said that the police hurriedly shifted the bodies to a hospital for post-mortem without the consent of their families in violation of the National Human Rights Commission guidelines.
The petition sought that autopsy of the Maoists be conducted again under the supervision of expert doctors. “The corpses should be preserved so that they do not decompose and handed over to the family members,” the petition said.
The counsel for the police contended that the bodies were immediately shifted to Mulug hospital for security reasons. “The post-mortem examinations were conducted under the supervision of 13 doctors and forensic experts from Kakatiya Medical College and the process was video-recorded,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The counsel for the police contended that the bodies were immediately shifted to Mulug hospital for security reasons. “The post-mortem examinations were conducted under the supervision of 13 doctors and forensic experts from Kakatiya Medical College and the process was video-recorded,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The court adjourned the hearing to Tuesday.
Seven members of the banned CPI (Maoist), including a senior leader carrying a ₹20 lakh reward, were killed in Sunday’s gunfight. This was only the second major operation in Telangana in 10 years, following the killing of 10 Maoists in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district in March 2018. In September, six Maoists, including squad commander Lachanna who carried a ₹10 lakh reward, were killed in Bhadradri Kothagudem district.
Meanwhile, a tense atmosphere prevailed in the Eturnagaram area, as the Mulug district police conducted combing operations.
“The Maoists put up banners in the region a couple of days ago calling upon the people to observe People’s Liberation Guerilla Army martyrs’ week. They are targeting innocent tribals suspecting them to be police informers. Hence, we are not leaving any chance in ensuring security,” a senior police official said.