Telangana HC asks police to preserve bodies of seven Maoists after petitioner alleges 'fake encounter'

Hyderabad: Telangana High Court on Monday directed the police to preserve the bodies of seven Maoists killed in an exchange of fire with the police in Mulugu district of the state.

The court, while hearing a petition filed by the wife of one of the slain Maoists, also directed the police to allow the family members of the ultras to see the bodies.

The petitioner alleged that the Maoists were tortured and killed in a fake encounter on Sunday.

The government counsel informed the court that a post-mortem was conducted on the bodies and it was video recorded as per NHRC and court guidelines. The bodies were also shown to family members of the deceased Maoists.

The court, while directing the police to preserve the bodies, posted the matter to Tuesday.

In a related development, Telangana DGP Jitender termed the allegations leveled by the state civil rights association that police resorted to poisoning the Maoists before gunning them down, as "totally false".

A few days before the encounter, the Maoists brutally killed two innocent tribals to death in Mulugu district, branding them as police informers, the DGP said in a release.

After the tribals' killing, police were conducting combing in the area when the Maoists opened fire at police using sophisticated weapons, he said. In the return fire, seven Maoists were killed.

A DSP-rank officer from a neighboring district has been appointed as the Investigating officer and further investigation is on, the Telangana police chief said.

Seven Maoists, including a key leader of the outlawed group with a Rs 20 lakh bounty on his head, were killed in an exchange of fire with the police in Mulugu district on Sunday morning during a combing operation, police had said.

Six of the seven slain Maoists were natives of Chhattisgarh, while another belonged to Peddapalli district of Telangana.