A team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi on Monday conducted the second autopsy of the four men accused of raping and murdering a veterinarian in Hyderabad last month, The News Minute reported. The four were shot dead by the police under controversial circumstances on December 6.

The autopsy was conducted at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. The team had conducted the first autopsy on Saturday, following an order of the Telangana High Court. The team was scheduled to submit its report to the registrar general of the High Court by Monday evening. The autopsy was videographed and the doctors were asked to express an independent view on the basis of the evidence they collected.

“The team spoke to the family members of the deceased after arriving here,” said Gandhi Hospital Superintendent Dr Shravan. “The kin then identified the bodies, following which the autopsy was conducted. The entire process was transparent.”

Dr Shravan said the hospital provided every facility sought by the AIIMS team. He added that the team typed its report in confidentiality. “We strictly followed the High Court’s orders,” Shravan said. The hospital arranged ambulances to transport the bodies to their native villages after the autopsy, he added.

On December 12, the Supreme Court had ordered a judicial inquiry into the police encounter. The inquiry will be headed by former Supreme Court judge VS Sirpurkar, and will also comprise former Bombay High Court judge Rekha Baldota and former Central Bureau of Investigation Director DR Karthikeyan.

The inquiry will have to be completed in six months. The court also stayed the proceedings of the Telangana High Court and National Human Rights Commission in the matter.

The state government has justified the encounter, claiming that the accused snatched two firearms and shot at the police. No policeman received bullet injuries, but some were allegedly injured in the incident.