A Maoist kangaroo court handing down death sentences, beheaded bodies of those sentenced, the Maoist big chief and his deputy addressing the “party congress”, armed hordes of Lalgarh saluting their “martyrs” and an authentic Maoist wedding — HT is in possession of a CD containing these and other never-seen-before images of Maoists in their hideouts.

The police would not disclose when the CD was seized. But it is the only one available with authorities that shows what top two Maoist leaders look like, offers deep insights into the brutal, shadowy world of the Maoists, who wield considerable influence in 161 of India’s 626 districts across nine states.

Among the clips in the CD are speeches by CPI (Maoist) general secretary Ganapati, alias Mupalla Laxman Rao alias Chandrasekhar, 50, and his second-in-command Prashanta Bose alias Kishenda alias Nirbhay Mukherjee, 72.

Ganapati is seen addressing the party congress in Hindi, while Kishenda is seen speaking in Bengal-accented Hindi.

A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the speeches were made at the CPI (Maoist)’s ninth congress in 2007, the first since the CPI(ML), People’s War and Maoist Coordination Committee of India merged in 2004.

The CD also contains chilling images of “undertrials” being “tried” by “people’s courts”, a “convict” being led away by gun-toting militiamen, another “convict” about to be covered by a blanket just before execution.

It contains a gory still photograph of a beheaded figure and another of a beheaded man, his head placed on the blood-smeared ground slightly away from his body. HT has withheld publication of these photos as they are extremely disturbing.

The top police officer said the “execution” photos were shot in Lalgarh in 2009, when the Maoists had killed several CPI(M) workers.

“The pictures prove these ‘people’s courts’ are real, and that ‘executions’ are carried out in broad daylight,” he said.