The image file Zamba Keshav Rao | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The last ceremonies of the highest Maoist leader Zamaje Keshava Rao aka Basavaraju and seven other Maoist cadres who were carried out on Monday (May 26, 2025) in the Abujhmad area in Chhattisgarh.
The funerals took place in Chhattisgarh Despite the Basavaraja family, 70, they demanded that the bodies of the deceased be handed over to them and the funeral to take place at Basavaraja at their native point, Jiyyannapet in the district of Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh. Previously, the family claimed that the Police of Chhattisgarh refused to hand over Basavaraju’s body to them.
However, the police argued that there was “no legal applicant” for the seven authorities, including Basavaraju bodies, and that all the basic and humanitarian courtesy was prolonged in the cremation of “rejected and unsolicited dead bodies NAXAL according to proper legal procedures”.
“While there was no bright legal applicant for the remaining 07 naxal dead bodies, including the bodies of the best rated naxal cadre CPI Maoist Secretary of Basavaraju. He said.
According to the police of 27 bodies, 20 were handed over to family members after verification of claims. The family members of one of them – Kosi alias Hungi – however, asked local authorities to facilitate the cremation of the dead body at the head of the Narayanpur district, referring to the fear of spreading portable diseases because the body was in a distributed state, he added.
Basavaraju’s brother N. Ramprasad, who was in Narayanpur, had previously claimed that Andr Pradesh did not allow them to bring their brother’s body to their native village.
The Basavaraja and Sajja Venkata Nagesware Rao, another Maoist leader who was killed at Abujhmad’s meeting, approached the Andra Pradesh High Court last week, looking for a direction to give them dead bodies. During the proceedings of the CHHHhattisgarh General advocate, he said that they would be handed over to a relative after completion of postmort. The court ordered them to approach the police of Chhattisgarh.
A total of five groups of applicants, including two groups of petitioners at the Andra Pradesh High Court, reached Narayanpur, but could not submit valid and satisfactory documents to prove their relationship to the deceased cadres, the policeman said.
The police claim that there were no applicants, although the family members came and even camping in Narayanpur, the Bastar Range Inspector (Bastar) P. Sundarraj said that “individuals who contacted the police” submitted their own identification documents but could not prove any claim with the deceased. “Even a certificate from the village in question could be enough, but they didn’t have the same thing,” said Mr. Sundarraj.
Janardan Rao, who said he was the nephew of the deceased Basavaraja, told reporters in Narayanpur that the local authorities told them they could not take the body and that it would be cremated “here (in Narayanpur)”.
“The police said nothing until yesterday evening. They wrote our name yesterday evening. There was no one in the hospital in the morning. We went to the SP (Superintendent of Police) in the morning. We were not allowed to see the dead body.
Activist Bela Bhatia, who was in Narayanpur, said the police forcibly carried out the last ceremonies of Basavaraju and others. “I know that in such circumstances there are several judgments in which it was said that the dead body has dignity and family members have the right to carry out the last ceremonies. This is in Article 21 of our constitution and many international laws,” Mrs. Bhatia said.
Police sources in Chhattisgarh said that the mission of the body to Andhra Pradesh could trigger the situation in the field of law and order, because supporters of the Maoists planned to perform a massive funeral.
Published – May 27, 2025 12:04 PM
