Mother, brother allowed to see Maoist leader’s body

HYDERABAD - The mother and brother of top Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, gunned down by the Andhra Pradesh Police a day earlier, were Saturday allowed to see his body.

Tension prevailed at Machriyal town in Adilabad district as police prevented revolutionary balladeer Gaddar, writer Varavara Rao and other Maoist sympathizers from entering the Government Hospital.

But the police allowed Azad’s mother C. Karuna to see his body before the autopsy began as per the directions of the high court. She was accompanied by Azad’s brother C. Suresh.

Accompanied by other family members, Varavara Rao and activists of various civil liberties groups reached the hospital where Azad’s body was bought with that of another Maoist for autopsy.

There was a heated argument between police and rights activists as officials refused to allow let except Azad’s mother and brother inside the hospital.

Mediapersons staged a protest against the police for not allowing them into the hospital premises.

Maoist sympathizers alleged that the police killed Azad in cold blood after capturing him in Maharashtra.

“The government has killed the man who was to participate in the talks, which shows it is not interested in peace,” Gaddar told reporters outside the hospital.

The balladeer warned that killings of Maoist leaders in what he called were staged shootouts would lead to “a mass revolution” against the central and state governments.

Azad, considered second in the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) hierarchy and also the spokesperson of the outfit, was shot dead Friday by police in a shootout in the forests near Jogapur in Adilabad district, about 300 km from here, police said.

Another Maoist who was killed has been identified as Sahadev.