Telangana High Court on Thursday ordered state police authorities to reconduct the postmortem of the three alleged Maoists who were gunned down in an exchange of fire in the forests of Bhadradri Kothagudem district on Wednesday night.
On Wednesday night, three alleged Maoists including two women, were shot dead in Chennapuram forest area in Cherla mandal of the district.
Gaddam Lakxaman, a retired professor at Osmania University moved court alleging that the police acted "illegally and arbitrarily" by using excessive force.
Advocate P Raghunath filed a petition on behalf of Prof. Gaddam Laxman. The HC bench comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy, directed the state government to arrange for the autopsy by a forensic expert from MGM Hospital Warangal. As the police informed that two bodies were already handed over to the family members, HC directed the officials to take back the bodies and conduct a re-postmortem.
The HC has also asked the officials to videograph the procedure and submit the report in shield cover while posting the hearing for October 5.
The deceased were identified as Mandakam Malli 22, Mandakam Mangi 24, and Siddi Jogaiah 25. District police claimed that members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) party opened fire at the police who were conducting combing operations at Cherla forest area.
The encounter was the third such incident in the district and fourth one in the state in less than a month. On September 7, two alleged Maoists were killed by district police special party and greyhound forces following "an exchange of fire".
Earlier this week, two alleged Maoists were killed in Kadamba forests of Kumram Bhim Asifabad (KB Asifabad) in an encounter. According to the in-charge SP Sathyanarayana, the encounter took place as eight Greyhounds personnel and six special teams came across an armed Maoist group led by Adellu Bhaskar near Bejjur, Koutala, Dehegam, Esgam on the border with Gadchiroli after reliable information.
Police claimed that the Maoists opened indiscriminate fire forcing the police to retaliate. The month of September has seen eight deaths of alleged Maoists in at least four incidents of exchange of fire in the state.
For over three months, interior parts of undivided Adilabad, Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Mulugu and Jayashankar Bhupalpally districts are witnessing a tense atmosphere with Maoists attempting to regain their ground and police carrying out combing operations.