West Midnapore (West Bengal), Nov 26 The body of one of the top Maoist leaders Kishenji, who was killed in a gun fight with security forces, was Saturday identified by his niece Deepa Rao, Maoist ideologue P.Varvara Rao said.

"Deepa has identified the body. It is of Kishenji. After the post-mortem is done today (Saturday), he will be taken to Kolkata. After the legal formalities are completed there, he would be flown to his native place in Andhra Pradesh," Rao said.

The body of the slain rebel leader has been kept at the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital where the autopsy would be done.

Deepa and Rao are in the district to identify and take back the leader's body.

The West Bengal government Friday decided to send the body of Kishenji to Andhra Pradesh after consulting his family and completing procedural formalities.

"The body is being sent," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told media persons in reply to a query.

Security agencies have claimed that Communist Party of India-Maoist's (CPI-Maoist) politburo member Kishenji, whose real name was Mallojula Koteshwar Rao, died in a gun fight Thursday in West Midnapore district's Burishole, 10 km from the border with Jharkhand.

While Rao had claimed that the rebel leader was killed by the security forces in a fake gun battle, the rebels have called a two-day state shutdown from Saturday to protest against the killing of their leader in what they said was a "staged" gunfight.

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