Narayanpur, May 26 (PTI) The authorities have performed the last rites of top Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao, also known as Basavaraju, and seven other cadres who were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh last week. They were cremated in Narayanpur, according to officials.
In a significant strike on Naxalites, security forces managed to eliminate Basavaraju, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), along with 26 other cadres during an encounter that took place in the forest of Abhujmad, located along the Bijapur-Narayanpur inter-district border on May 21. The operation also claimed the lives of two jawans from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of the state's police force.
Among the 27 Naxalites killed, bodies of 19 were handed over to lawful claimants after following official procedures and verifying necessary documentation, stated Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P.
Meanwhile, two petitions were filed by certain individuals in the Andhra Pradesh High Court regarding the bodies of Maoist cadres Basavaraju and Naveen. On May 24, the Andhra Pradesh HC directed the petitioners to approach the appropriate Chhattisgarh police authority to claim the bodies. No directive was issued to the Chhattisgarh police to hand over the bodies to the petitioners, he explained.
Five groups of claimants, including the two petitioners who had appealed in the AP High Court, traveled to Narayanpur but failed to produce valid documents proving their relationships with the deceased cadres. They were also unable to provide legal documentation to support their claims for transporting the bodies to Andhra Pradesh or Telangana.
The family members of another deceased Maoist cadre, Kosi alias Hungi, who hailed from the state's Sukma district, received her body after verification of their claim. They approached the police on Monday, and although they urged local authorities to facilitate the cremation citing fears of communicable diseases due to decomposition, it was carried out in Narayanpur.
No claimants emerged for the remaining two bodies, resulting in a total of eight Naxalite cadavers being cremated in Narayanpur following legal protocols.
The situation suggests that Basavaraju and his associates were disowned by their acquaintances, reflecting a disavowal of his inhumane acts. “Embarrassed by the actions of the head of the banned and illegal Maoist outfit, none of his acquaintances came to pay their final respects. Nevertheless, the state upheld basic human courtesy by carrying out the cremation in accordance with legal procedures,” he stated.
The authorities successfully thwarted a conspiracy by the Naxal outfit and its supporters to glorify their leader and other cadres with an elaborate funeral at their native place, he added.
Despite Basavaraju’s family demanding his body for a funeral in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, the cremation took place in Narayanpur. The family accused the police of withholding his body, prompting them to petition the Andhra Pradesh High Court to direct the Chhattisgarh and AP governments to release it for last rites.
Another family also approached the AP high court with a similar plea. On May 24, the court disposed of both petitions, allowing the petitioners to seek custody of the bodies from Chhattisgarh police authorities. The Chhattisgarh Advocate General informed the court that the bodies would be handed over to relatives as per legal procedures following the post-mortem.
Nambala Janardan Rao, claiming to be Basavaraju’s nephew, told PTI in Narayanpur that local authorities informed them they could not take the body, which would be cremated locally. The police did not address their concerns until Sunday, they alleged.
“The police recorded our details and left. When we visited the SP office this morning, we were later approached and asked to follow them. We were informed that we couldn’t take the body due to its deteriorating condition and were urged to conduct the rites locally. We were not allowed even to view the body,” he recounted.
Activist Bela Bhatia criticized the police for allegedly misusing their powers in preventing the family from taking the bodies for last rites. Bhatia referred to several judgments affirming the right to dignity of the body and the family’s right to conduct last rites, citing Article 21 of the Constitution and international laws.
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