Post mortem done on Rajamouli’s body
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Staff Reporter
| Exercise filmed amid tight security in and around the hospital as per directions of the police |
Brother’s pleas to hold up post mortem ‘ignored’
Autopsy conducted amid tight security around hospital
DHARMAVARAM: The police and revenue officials went ahead and completed the formality of post mortem on the body of slain Maoist leader Sande Rajamouli (45) alias Prasad, here on Saturday, despite the requests of his younger brother Ravi and human rights activists to hold up the exercise till they arrived.
As the Government Area Hospital here has no forensic doctors, the police summoned a team of doctors comprising Rajasekhar Babu and Paranjyothi from the Government Hospital at Penukonda and completed the formality between 12.45 and 1.15 pm. However, the exercise was filmed by a video camera as per the directions of the police.
The autopsy was conducted amid tight security in and around the hospital. No outsider was allowed to enter the hospital premises except media persons till the completion of post mortem. When contacted, younger brother of Rajamouli Ravi stated that they were unable to reach Dharamaravam in time due to heavy rains in the State.
The requests of Ravi and also that of Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee and Revolutionary Writers’ Association to postpone the post mortem till the family members arrived were allegedly ignored by the police. Speaking to The Hindu, general secretary of APCLC S. Seshaiah said the incident of the Maoist leader’s killing was itself shrouded in mystery and the fact that the police could not wait till the arrival of relatives for conducting post mortem would only strengthen such doubts.
Human rights leaders K. Balagopal and P. Varavara Rao had tried to reach Anantapur, but in vain, due to heavy rains, he said. A team of human rights activists would visit the town on Sunday, he stated.
Heavy blow
The killing of Rajamouli was yet another heavy blow to the CPI (Maoist). The incident (operation) was completed within a few minutes even before onlookers in the railway station and outside could realise what was happening.
Rajamouli, who was also known as Mogili alias Yadanna alias Krishna alias PD, was a Central Committee Member and Central Military Commission Member of the Maoist outfit. At the time of death, he was the State Committee Secretary of Karnataka and had also been looking after the reconstruction of the party in Anantapur district, where it has almost been decimated due to a series of encounters from 2004 to 2006.
He was also the alleged mastermind behind the Alipiri blast in which the then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had a miraculous escape on October 2, 2003. Besides, Rajamouli was also the alleged conspirator in the killing of former Assembly Speaker D. Sreepada Rao in Karimnagar district.
In all, he was allegedly involved in about 120 cases in Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa and Maharashtra and was also carrying a Rs. 15 lakh reward on his head.
Taking a plunge into the extremist movement in 1981 he was underground all these 26 years while serving the outfit in different capacities. He was considered very close to Central Committee secretary Ganesh.
He was married to Padmakka while working as Nizamabad Secretary but she was killed in the Manala encounter in 2002. Later, he married Neelakonda Rajitha alias Aruna alias Padmakka of Anantapur district.
Hailing from Pothukapalligudem village in Odela mandal of Karimnagar district, Rajamouli has parents and a younger brother Ravi in his native place now. His killing in Anantapur district is also likely to hamper rebuilding of the party badly.
Nallamala Forest Division Secretary and State Committee Member Sudarshan was also killed in the district earlier this year.
Labels: NEWS
posted by Resistance 6/24/2007 02:09:00 PM,
