Maoists killing: AIIMS to analyse video recording of autopsy

The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday directed the video recording of the autopsy conducted on two Maoists killed in an alleged gunfight in Telangana's Warangal district last September be sent to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice S.V. Bhatt passed the orders while hearing a petition filed by a civil liberties group, which alleged that Maoists Sruthi and Vidyasagar were killed in a staged gunfight.

According to police, the Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire in the Mulug reserve forest area in Tadwai mandal in Warangal district on September 15.

The bench directed that experts should go through the video recording to find out if there were injuries other than the bullet wounds. It asked AIIMS director to submit the report in a sealed cover.

Doctors of MGM Hospital, Warangal, who conducted the autopsy had stated in their report the two Maoists died of bullet injuries and there were no other injuries on the bodies.

The petitioner, however, voiced its doubts on the autopsy report. To this, Additional Advocate General Ramchandra Rao informed the court that the autopsy proceeding was video recorded.

On a request by the petitioner's counsel V. Raghunath that the video recording by sent to experts outside the state, the court agreed to have it examined by experts at AIIMS and adjourned the hearing by three weeks.

The petitioner has sought direction to police to register a fresh first information report (FIR) in the case. It also wants the case to be handed over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In what is described as the first gunfight in Telangana state, Sruthi alias Mahitha (23) and Vidyasagar Reddy alias Sagar (32), were killed in the alleged exchange of fire with police.