Chittoor killings: Hyderabad HC orders 2nd post mortem on a body

The Hyderabad high court on Thursday directed a second post-mortem to be performed on the body of Sashi Kumar, one of the 20 alleged “smuggler-woodcutters” killed in the Seshachalam encounter on April 7.

The Hyderabad high court on Thursday directed a second post-mortem to be performed on the body of Sashi Kumar, one of the 20 alleged “smuggler-woodcutters” killed in the Seshachalam encounter on April 7.

A-team-of-doctors-from-Hyderabad-will-go-to-Tamil-Nadu-to-perform-the-post-mortem-in-Chennai-Kashif-Masood-HT-File-Photo

The order was based on a plea of Maniyammal, wife of the deceased, expressing doubts over the police version of the encounter and the probe. The court had earlier asked the state government for the copies of the first post-mortem reports.

A team of doctors from Hyderabad would go to Tamil Nadu to perform the task in Chennai and the autopsy report would be submitted to the HC. The court directed the TN government to ensure security and maintain peace in the state during the procedure. The state has been witnessing protests and attacks on Andhra establishments since the encounter.

Six bodies of the killed in the encounter are preserved in a government hospital at Tiruvannamalai.

The Andhra Pradesh government had on Wednesday informed the court that police had registered a case of murder in the incident where a Special Task Force team killed 20 alleged smugglers from Tamil Nadu on morning of April 7 in the Seshachalam forests.

Sources told HT that the FIR pertains to the death of six persons including Kumar and is registered against the “unknown STF police personnel.”