-The Deccan Chronicle
The CBI on Monday filed an interim report in the Supreme Court regarding the alleged encounter killing of Maoist spokesman Cherukuri Raj Kumar alias Azad. The apex court has given time till December 18 to the CBI to file its final report in the case. Sources said scientific evidence and eye-witness accounts back the police version of an exchange of fire which resulted in Azad’s death. CBI joint director V.V. Lakshminarayana, when contacted, said that the investigation is going on. The Adilabad police has been charged with faking the encounter and gunning down Azad and freelance journalist Hemach-andra Pandey on July 1, 2010. The CBI has booked a case of murder and criminal conspiracy agai-nst the concerned police party. The allegation of a fake encounter was made in writ petitions filed by Swami Agnivesh and Bineetha Pandey and the Supreme Court directed the CBI to investigate. The CBI recorded the statements against Asifa-bad inspector Ch. Raghu-nandan, Tandur SI K. Ravinder, Bellampally Armed Reserve Police SI Mohan and Civil and Armed Reserve special party police, who are the accused in the case.