Telugu Poet Varvara Rao says Kishanji was tortured before being killed

Telugu poet and Maoist sympathiser Varvara Rao Friday alleged that top Maoist leader Kishanji was tortured before being killed in a fake encounter and demanded a white paper from the West Bengal government.

"Kishanji was subjected to inhuman torture as his body bore marks of several injuries and he was killed in a fake encounter 24 hours after being nabbed. I demand a white paper on the killing," Rao told reporters at the state secretariat.

Rao also demanded filing of a case under section 302 in compliance with NHRC norms against those responsible for the killing in a memorandum to Home Secretary G D Gautama.

He alleged that four other Maoists were still being held in captivity 'like Kishenji'.

Rao said that Kishanji's niece Deepa Rao had arrived with him from Peddapalli in Andhra Pradesh and should be allowed to identify the body.

"Kishanji's mother is very old and a cancer patient. She wants to see her son. Kishenji's body should be brought to Kolkata for preservation and sent to Hyderabad.

"The body should be handed over to the family with due honour as he was a political worker," he said, acknowledging that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that Kishenji's last rites would be performed with honour.

"The Andhra Pradesh government killed many Maoists in this way, but at least it conducted the post mortem complying with NHRC norms. Azad's body (another Maoist top leader killed in encounter few years ago) was sent to his Delhi residence in accordance with NHRC norms," Rao said.

Alleging that the present state government was closely following the style of functioning of the preceding Left Front regime, he said "I think there is no need for any discussions with the fascist, imperialist and feudalistic government in the present situation".

"Kishanji, (CPI-Maoist secretary) Ganapathy and many others favoured talks which is no longer required in the present situation, nor are interlocutors," he said.

Rao was accompanied by two Association for Protection of Democratic Rights members, besides Deepa.