Hyderabad, Dec 2 (NationPress) The Telangana High Court on Monday instructed the police to maintain the remains of seven Maoists who were reportedly killed in an alleged encounter with police in Mulugu district on Sunday.

The police were also ordered to permit the family members and relatives of the deceased Maoists to view the bodies.

This directive came in response to a petition from a civil liberties organization, which claimed that the Maoists were victims of a staged encounter. The court adjourned further proceedings on this petition until Tuesday.

The petitioner contended that the Maoists were apprehended by police after their food was laced with sedatives. Allegations were made that they were tortured and murdered in cold blood.

The lawyer representing the petitioner informed the court that the bodies of the deceased Maoists exhibited severe injuries.

The court was also informed that the police transported the bodies for postmortem without allowing family members to see them.

In contrast, the government informed the court that forensic specialists from Kakatiya Medical College carried out a postmortem on the bodies, which was recorded on video. The court was told that police urgently needed to move the bodies for postmortem examination due to a perceived threat.

Seven Maoists, including a member of the state committee from the outlawed CPI-Maoist, were killed during an engagement by the anti-Maoist unit Greyhounds in the Chalpaka forests of Eturanagaram mandal in Mulugu district early Sunday. The Greyhounds engaged with the group during combing operations.

The deceased extremists included Bhadru, also known as Kursam Mangu, 35, who was the commander of the Yellandu-Narsampet area committee and a member of the CPI-Maoist’s Telangana State Committee. The other six Maoists were identified as Egolapu Mallaiah, 43, Mussaki Deval, 22, Mussaki Jamuna, 23, Jai Singh, 25, Kishore, 22, and Kamesh, 23.

The District Superintendent of Police Sabari stated that the encounter unfolded in the early hours when the Maoists, upon noticing security forces, opened fire. In response, the Greyhounds engaged in a gunfight lasting half an hour. After securing the area, the forces recovered the bodies of seven Maoists.

The forces found an AK-47, an INSAS rifle, .303 rifles, and other firearms.

SP Sabari praised the security forces' efforts and reaffirmed the district police's dedication to eradicating Maoist influence. He noted that investigations are ongoing to uncover additional connections and to disrupt their activities.

This marked the first significant encounter in Mulugu district in recent years, coinciding with efforts by the banned group to revive its activities in the area.

The district had recently witnessed Maoist presence. On November 21, the extremists killed two individuals on suspicion of being police informants in Mulugu district.

The Maoists executed this act in Penugolu Colony in Wajedu mandal headquarters.