HYDERABAD: The Home Minister, K. Jana Reddy, has rejected the demand for a judicial probe into the Friday's Mohinikunta encounter on the ground that a magisterial enquiry is already on by the district Collector.

At a press conference here on Saturday, he denied the reports that it was the police who had taken the decision to `bump off' the Janashakti leader and others in the encounter and he was not informed of this. He also denied that he did not attend the Cabinet meeting as he was `anguished' over it.

The Minister said the encounter was real "as per information given to him by the police and the officers deputed by him to the spot to verify the facts." He said several newspapers, however, dubbed it fake. In view of this, he would check up the circumstances leading to the encounter once again.

The Home Minister termed unfortunate the bomb blast at MGM Hospital at Warangal on Saturday in which an ITI student, Shankar, was killed and 13 others injured, the Mohinikunta encounter and the killing of a head constable, Manikeswar Rao, by extremists in Vizianagaram district. He announced an ex gratia of Rs. 9 lakhs and Rs. 5 lakhs respectively to the families of the deceased besides jobs to eligible persons. He offered the same benefit to the family of Riaz if his parents sought it.

Appeal to naxals

The Minister alleged that naxalites were continuing violence despite several appeals forcing the police to resort to search operations leading to encounters. The arrest of as many as 40 Janashakti activists in the last three months, including Doddi Komaraiah on Friday, and seizure of 66 weapons from them had only indicated the spread and type of activity undertaken by Janashakti.

The Home Minister appealed to naxalites to eschew violence and join the mainstream.

Answering a question, Mr. Reddy said the Government was accountable to people only and would not be cowed down to threats by anybody.

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