Second autopsy of Hyderabad suspects by AIIMS team today

New Delhi, December 22

AIIMS has formed a team of three forensic doctors to conduct the second autopsy on the bodies of four men accused of gang-rape and murder of a woman veterinarian near Hyderabad, who were killed in an alleged encounter on December 6.

The team left for Telangana this evening and would conduct the second autopsy at the mortuary of state-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad on Monday at 9 am, a source said.

The Telangana High Court had directed authorities to conduct a second postmortem on the bodies of the four accused. The bodies have been kept at Gandhi Hospital as per an earlier order of the high court, after pleas were filed alleging extra-judicial killing of the men and claiming it was a fake encounter.

A Division Bench directed that the autopsy be conducted before December 23 and the report be submitted to the Registrar General of the high court.

After the postmortem, the bodies can be handed over to the families of the four men. The doctors were advised to express an independent view on the basis of the evidence collected by them.

The four accused were arrested on November 29 for allegedly raping and killing the 25-year-old veterinarian and burning her body. The charred remains were found on November 28. The case triggered widespread protests across the country.

On December 6, they were gunned down by police at Chattanpalli when they were taken to the site of the offence for reconstruction of the crime scene for investigation. The “encounter” has come under legal scrutiny.

The Cyberabad police have said the cops resorted to “retaliatory” fire when two of the accused opened fire at them after snatching their weapons.

The Supreme Court has appointed a three-member inquiry commission headed by a former apex court judge to inquire into the circumstances leading to the encounter. — PTI