A fact-finding team of the Human Rights Forum (HRF), which conducted an independent inquiry on Wednesday into the alleged exchange of fire at Annavaram village in Koyyuru mandal and at Gorrilametta village in Visakhapatnam Agency in which two Maoists were killed by the Greyhounds personnel on February 24, asserted that it was a clear case of unilateral firing.
According to the police, two Maoists, Gemmeli Narayan Rao alias Jambri and Vanathala Chittibabu were killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces.
The HRF team, comprising its general secretary V.S. Krishna and executive committee members Y. Rajesh and K. Sudha, visited the villages and the encounter site. After an inquiry, it concluded that both Jambri and Chittibabu were fired upon without any warning or giving them an opportunity to surrender.
“As per our inquiry from the villagers who were witness to the entire episode, Jambri was hit in the leg and Chittibabu in the lower abdomen and incapacitated. They offered to surrender. They were then caught and taken to a spot and shot in cold blood after about 30-40 minutes,” alleged Mr. Krishna.
Jambri, at that time, possessed only one country-made ‘tapancha’ and Chittibabu alias Kishore was unarmed.
But the police showed that they had recovered one ‘tapancha’ and one old Thomson sub-machine gun.
“Chittibabu even requested for water. The police beat up Tambelu Ghasi, a resident of Annavaram, for providing water to Chittibabu. Thereafter, Chittibabu was shot dead,” said Mr. Krishna.
Speaking to The Hindu , the HRF demanded that a case under IPC Section 302 and relevant Sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act be booked against the police officials concerned and an independent inquiry by the CBI or SIT under a High Court judge be initiated into the incident.
