Maoists were killed in encounter, state tells Kerala HC.

Source – newindianexpress.com

KOCHI: Refuting allegations that the Maoists, who were hiding in Manjikandi forest area in Attappadi, were killed in police custody, the state government on Friday informed the Kerala High Court that the Maoists opened fire first, which led to an encounter.

The injuries mentioned in the postmortem report and the statement of the doctor who conducted the autopsy reveal that it was not custodial killing, the government said in the report.The state submitted that the four Maoists died in an encounter with the Thunderbolt team. Two cases were registered against the Maoists at the Agali police station and these were transferred to the Crime Branch, Kozhikode.

The report was filed in response to a petition filed by M Murukesan, brother of Kannan alias Karthi, and Lakshmi, sister of  Manivasakam, seeking to quash the Palakkad Sessions Judge’s order granting permission to the police to cremate the bodies of the two Maoists.

When the case came up for hearing, senior Government Pleader Suman Chakravarthy submitted that the Thunderbolt patrolling team was performing routine perambulation in the reserve forests when a group of persons, who were the members of the banned organisation CPI (Maoists), opened fire at the police team.
The patrol team returned the fire in self-defence.

The report said Manivasakam was a leader of the banned terrorist organisation and he had possessed an AK-47 assault rifle with a magazine at the time of his death. He had pumped bullets into the Thunderbolt team. His wife Kala and sister Chandra were under custody at Trichy central prison for offences under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The doctor, who conducted the postmortem, made it clear that the fracture on the legs of Manivasagam was a perimortem injury.

govt report

The state submitted that the four Maoists died in an encounter with the Thunderbolt team.
The report was filed in response to a petition filed by relatives of the slain Maoists seeking to quash the Palakkad Sessions Judge’s order granting permission to the police to cremate the bodies
Kala, wife of Manivasakam and Chandra, his sister, were under custody at Trichy central prison for offences under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

‘Leader had ak-47’
The report said Manivasakam was a leader of the banned terrorist organisation and he had possessed an AK-47 assault rifle with a magazine at the time of his death.