HYDERABAD: Hours after the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha police gunned down 24 Maoists on the border between the two states, civil rights activists rushed to the High Court here and filed a public interest litigation (PIL) pleading for a thorough judicial probe into what the police say was an encounter.
In Hyderabad revolutionary poet Varavara Rao said the killings were state-sponsored murders because the police brutally gunned down Maoists who were holding a meeting.
"Cases should be booked against Andhra Pradesh director-general of police N Sambasiva Rao and others under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code for resorting to this inhuman act," he said.
Telangana Democratic Front [TDF] leader Prof Haragopal demanded a probe by a serving judge to bring out the "actual facts."
The PIL filed in the Hyderabad High Court sought a directive to the authorities to shift the bodies of all slain Naxalite leaders to the King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam to conduct a thorough autopsy.
The litigation was filed advocate V Raghunath, on behalf of Civil Liberties Committee member Chandrasekhar. The petition is likely to be heard this evening.
Varavara Rao said the AP police had specific information about the meeting convened by Maoists in Malkangiri district of Odisha. Directly upon reaching the spot, policemen of the Greyhounds unit opened indiscriminate fire at the Maoist leaders.
"They killed the Maoists and spread the news that it was an encounter. After bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, there has not been a single Maoist attack on the police in both Telugu-speaking states. Why did the police commit this brutal offense now?" the poet asked.
According to him, precious natural resources are being looted in North Andhra, particularly in the Visakhapatnam Agency areas, by capitalists with the help of the state government. Vast extents of land are being illegally mined by contractors.
"Local tribal people have been questioning the AP government over the way it is allocating precious natural resources to private persons in Visakha Agency. There is also severe opposition to the state government's plans to construct the Polavaram irrigation project, which will leave the local tribal people in the lurch. Hence, young men driven by ideals are standing by these innocent tribals. That's the reason why the Maoists are being killed in fake encounters," he said.
Prof Haragopal alleged that the fake encounter took place at the behest of the TDP government led by chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. "The encounter is the best example for Chandrababu Naidu's autocratic rule in Andhra Pradesh. The government must produce the bodies in the presence of the media and conduct a post-mortem procedures to reveal the facts," he demanded.