HYDERABAD, DEC 3: Amidst mounting suspicion over the manner in which the three top People's War Group (PWG) leaders were killed - whether they were bumped off or died in a genuine encounter - the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday directed the police to preserve the bodies of PWG state unit secretary Santosh Reddy alias Mahesh and another person identified by the police as Arun.The court orders were communicated to the concerned authorities over telephone following which the bodies were shifted to the NTPC hospital at Ramagumdan for preservation.The police, who appeared to be in a hurry to complete the formalities handed over the bodies of the other two victims - central committee member Adi Reddy and north Telangana unit secretary Seelam Naresh - to their relatives after a post-mortem even before the court took up the matter. Naresh was cremated at his native village later in the day.The killings evoked strong reaction from political parties and civil liberties organisations. The Congressdemanded probe by a sitting judge of the High Court while civil libertarians wanted inquiry by an independent agency.The high court also issued directions to the police to furnish post-mortem report to A Anasuya, mother of Santosh Reddy, and her advocate K Balagopal. The petitioner after going through the post-mortem report would make further submission before the court on the issue on Tuesday.Justice G Raghuram passed the order in a writ petition filed by Anasuya complaining that Santosh Reddy, PWG central committee member Adi Reddy, north Telangana secretary Naresh and Arun were taken into custody at Bangalore, tortured and brought to the State and killed in the guise of an encounter. She disputed the police version of exchange of fire.Senior counsel K G Kannabiran, appearing for the petitioner, brought to the notice of the court the circulars issued by the NHRC relating to the mode of investigation into the incident like the instant one. He contended that information relating to any encounter hadto be treated as information relating to a cognizable offence and an investigation should follow therefrom.It was alleged that without any investigation, the Director General of Police and Karimnagar superintendent of police came to a conclusion that the death of the four persons resulted in an exchange of fire between them and the police. The action of the police in conducting post-mortem on the bodies in a hurry by incompetent doctors was only intended to scuttle any possible investigation into the incident, Kannabiran argued.The petitioner sought the court to order an investigation into the killing by an independent agency.Additional Advocate General A P Reddy told the court that the post-mortem examination had already been completed and the bodies of Naresh and Adi Reddy had been handed over to their relatives. The matter was posted for further hearing on Tuesday.According to an ENS report from Karimnagar, Adi Reddy's body was taken to his native place Kothagattu while Naresh's body wasshifted to Jagtial amidst tight police security. Revolutionary poet P Varavara Rao, ballad singer Gaddar, former MLA N V Krishnaiah and APCLC president C Ratnamala, who reached Peddapalli after noon from Hyderabad, alleged that they were held back for quite sometime by police at Bejjanki in the district.
