HYDERABAD, Dec 7: A seven-member National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) committee on Saturday began its inquiry into the alleged police encounter in which all four accused in the rape and murder of a young veterinarian were killed, visiting the mortuary at a state-run hospital in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana, where their bodies have been kept after postmortem.
The team, including a forensic medicine expert, examined the bodies and also visited Chattanpalli village, about 50 kms from here, the spot where the charred remains of the woman were found beneath a culvert on 28 November, and also the encounter site nearby.
The investigative committee of the NHRC came here to “note down the incident,” and visited the mortuary and the scene of offence, DCP (Shamshabad Zone) N Prakash Reddy told reporters.
“They visited the scene of the crime and are in the process of investigation,” he said.
An expert who is part of the team that conducted the postmortem said the NHRC team checked whether the postmortem was conducted as per protocol or not, among other things.
He said the postmortem report would be prepared in two days.
The NHRC took cognizance of the encounter killings of the four accused in the case and ordered a probe on Friday.
The apex human rights body in the country had said the encounter was a matter of concern and needed to be investigated carefully.
“The commission is of the opinion that this matter is required to be probed very carefully. Accordingly, it has asked its director general (investigation) to immediately send a team for a fact-finding, on-the-spot investigation into the matter,” the NHRC said.
The postmortem of the four accused was done at the government district hospital in Mahabubnagar district and videographed.
The Telangana High Court had on Friday directed the state government to preserve the bodies of the four accused till 8 pm on 9 December.
All the four accused were shot dead by police on Friday during a predawn exchange of fire near Hyderabad.
The four were arrested on 29 November for allegedly raping and killing the 25-year-old woman by smothering her and later torching the body after dumping it under the culvert. (PTI)
