Distinct signs of torture on Kishenji’s body: Varavara

The entire postmortem was videographed and the police claimed it was done in front of an executive magistrate and as per the norms of the National Human Rights Commission.

Kishenji’s niece Deepa Rao and Maoist sympathiser Varavara Rao had a look at the body and left soon afterward,before the postmortem began. Later,the body was taken in a coffin and sent by air to Hyderabad to be handed over to the family of Kishenji.

However,Varavara Rao described Kishenji’s body as a “worst mutilated body” he had ever seen of an encounter death of a Maoist leader. “There are distinct signs of torture on Kishenji’s body. He had been severely tortured before being shot down,Rao said. Rao further said,“In last 43 years,I have seen several bodies of the rebels who were killed either in encounters or in fake encounters. But this is the worst and the most horrible body I have seen. There is no place in his body where there is no injury mark. They kept him in custody for 24 hours before shooting him to death. Before shooting him down,they have cut his jaws and his brain came out from his skull.”

The Maoist top leader’s killing case should be treated as a murder case,he said demanding capital punishment for the guilty.

“According to ruling of the apex court,if a person who does not believe in the Constitution and kills a person,it is a heinous crime. But if the police and the state who have taken oath under the Constitution and kill their own countrymen,then it is a more heinous crime. We demand capital punishment for those who have killed Kishenji and the state and the Central governments are also party to the conspiracy. Mamata Banerjee has cheated him and she has killed him,” said Rao.

Kishenji’s body was identified on Saturday by Deepa and Rao. Deepika said,“I have identified chacha’s body. I last saw him in 1995 when I was a little girl. But I have seen his photos and I could identify him as he has similarity with my grandfather and brother.”

Meanwhile,the Coordination committee of Democratic Rights Organization (CDRO),on behalf of 27 Democratic Rights Organisations,based in Delhi has in a press statement strongly criticised the killing of the Maoist leader.

“It is highly condemnable that one of the senior most members of the CPI(Maoist) has been killed in this manner when the party has been in the process of holding talks with the West Bengal government through government-appointed interlocutors and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been publicly maintaining that no operations are being conducted by the joint forces. The killing of Kishenji appears to be in keeping with the official policy of liquidating senior members of the CPI(Maoist) through extra judicial killings,” stated the CDRO.