The bodies of two Maoists killed in police firing in Nilambur forests on Thursday were brought out of the jungle Friday evening, and sent to Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, for post-mortem.
The bodies of senior CPI-Maoist leader Kuppu Devarajan and Ajita aka Kaveri were brought out of Unakkappara area of Padukka station in Karulai forest range with a massive police cover in an operation that lasted 11 hours. The police claimed that the Maoists had been killed in an encounter in the forest.
A large team of police and revenue officials led by Sub-Collector Jaffer Malik entered the forest in the morning in 32 vehicles to recover the bodies. Among the team were Tahsildar P.P. Jayachandran, Tamil Nadu Special Task Force Superintendent Shibi Chakravarti, Nilambur South Divisional Forest Officer K. Saji, several DySPs, circle inspectors, forest range officers and sub-inspectors.
The inquest was completed by 5 p.m. Kaveri was found lying on her back while Devarajan was lying with his face down. They were lying near two makeshift tents believed to have been erected some days ago. Cooking utensils, groceries, communication equipment and an iPad were found in the tents.
Police sources said there were facilities for two dozen members in the tents. They said there were 11 members in the gang when encountered, and the others had dispersed and escaped into the jungle.
The bodies were carried for 2 km on foot, and later in an ambulance. A massive crowd gathered outside the forest when the police team emerged with the bodies around 6.30 p.m.
Mediapersons protest
Mediapersons registered their protest with senior police officers as they were not allowed to visit or see the alleged encounter spot. They were made to believe what the police told them. District Police Superintendent Debesh Kumar Behara and Mr. Malik remained tight-lipped about the incident.
