Chhattisgarh encounter sparks legal battle: Families claim maoists were ‘tortured’

Hyderabad: An encounter in Narayanpur district, Chhattisgarh, on 22 September 2025, resulted in the deaths of two senior CPI (Maoist) Central Committee members. The incident has since led to a legal dispute, as the family allege a staged encounter and procedural violations by the police.

The two slain Maoists have been identified as Katta Ramachandra Reddy (63), alias Raja Dada, and Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy (67), alias Kosa Dada, both from Karimnagar district in Telangana and Central committee members(CCM), CPI(Maoist).

The legal saga began on September 24, when the family of Ramachandra Reddy approached the Chhattisgarh High Court. The petition for an urgent hearing was denied. They subsequently moved to the Supreme Court, which intervened and issued a crucial directive, the body should not to be cremated or buried of until the High Court had heard the matter.

However, the official narrative has been challenged by the family of one of the deceased. Raja Chandra, the son of Katta Ramachandra Reddy, has moved the courts, alleging that the encounter was staged and that his father's body showed clear signs of torture. They claim they were not officially informed of the encounter by the concerned authorities.

Families allege staged encounter and procedural violations

The family details a series of alleged procedural lapses. Speaking exclusively to HyderabadMail, Raja Chandra said, “Having learned of the incident through news reports, I sent emails to the DGP, IGP, and other officials requesting confirmation of identity and asking them not to conduct a postmortem”. They received a call from the police an hour later, confirming the encounter.

Furthermore, Raja Chandra alleges that the police violated Section 196 of the BNSS (Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita), which mandates that in cases of death resulting from police action, they must inform the relatives of the deceased and allow them to remain present during the inquiry. “However, they conducted the postmortem examination in Narayanpur district, violating all these procedures,” said Raja Chandra.

Raja Chandra has raised several pointed questions. “How can only two people, that too central committee members, die in an encounter? What happened to their guards?” he asked. In an exclusive phone conversation with this reporter from Chhattisgarh, Raja Chandra said, “We have noticed clear torture marks on my father's body.”

The handling of the body has also been a point of contention. The police informed the Supreme Court that a lack of freezer facilities in the area necessitated moving the body, subsequently shifted to a medical college in Jagdalpura on September 26. The family is now demanding an independent re-postmortem examination to “unearth the conspiracy and uphold justice.” Meanwhile Satyanarayana Reddy body was handed over to the family. 

The Chhattisgarh High Court, which heard the petition after the Dasara break on 6 October 2025, directed the police to submit the  post-mortem examination report and the video. A further hearing is scheduled for 13 October.