What is even more damning are the following findings of the Agarwal Commission:

1. At least 10 of the 17 villagers killed by the CRPF had been shot on their back, suggesting that the firing was deliberate and unprovoked.

2. Post-Mortem reports of the injuries indicated that the firing was done from a close range and not from a distance, as claimed by the CRPF.

3. Post-Mortem reports also indicate that several of the deceased had been assaulted before being shot. Lacerated wounds were inflicted by butts of rifles, the Commission concluded.

4. While the DIG S. Elango and CRPF Assistant Commandant Manish Bamola were leading the CRPF company and were allegedly at the front, neither of them fired a single shot, casting doubts on the CRPF’s version that Maoists had opened fire on the security force.