Cong MP Sreekandan seeks judicial inquiry into killing of four 'Maoists' in Kerala

Congress MP V K Sreekandan on Monday sought a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge into the killing of four alleged Maoists in the tribal hamlet of Attappadi in Kerala.

The Palakkad lawmaker said he raised the issue of killings during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha.

Three men and a woman died during a shootout by a special group of Kerala Police, Thunder Bolt, last month in Attappadi. There were 14 police personnel present during the shootout, he said.

Sreekandan claimed that according to the Kerala chief minister, the Thunder Bolt personnel fired at these four people in self defence as the victims were carrying weapon and attacking the police personnel.

"But, interestingly, there was no injury or wound on any police personnel involved in the attack," Sreekandan told reporters outside Parliament.

He further said the police personnel were not able to even identify two victims.

Going by the Supreme Court's order in another case, an FIR should be filed in the event of any killing against a person on whose hand someone has lost his or her life, the MP said, highlighting that the Kerala government has not yet registered an FIR against the three police personnel and the said "atrocity is being now investigated by the Crime Branch".

"Therefore, I urge upon the government to order a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge into these killings so that the truth can be unearthed since the whole affair in the said killing now looks suspicious in the eyes of the people of Kerala," he said.