Chhattisgarh: Family Refuses Body of Slain Naxal, Cops Perform Last Rites
Raipur, Oct 9: The family members of a female Naxal, slain in the last week’s encounter in north Abujhmad in Narayanpur district under south Bastar in Chhattisgarh, have refused to accept her body, leading the police to arrange her last rites in their presence.
The last rites of the deceased Naxal, Meena Netam (44), were performed at the “Muktidham” (crematorium) in the district headquarters of Dantewada in south Bastar in the presence of her family members on Tuesday evening, police said.
“The slain female Maoist’s last rites were performed at Dantewada Muktidham in the presence of her family members”, Dantewada district superintendent of police (SP) Gaurav Ray told this newspaper on Wednesday.
The deceased Maoist was among 31 ultras that were gunned down in a fierce encounter with security forces in the forest of Nandur- Thool Thuli in Abujhmad on October four.
The slain Naxal, a resident of Mohandi village in Narayanpur district, was studying in Class eight in a tribal residential school for girls in Kohakameta in the district when she joined Naxal cadres around 25 years ago, police said.
“Since then, Meena never visited her home, even once, till her death”, the SP said.
Her family had shifted to Kopra village in Kondagaon district in Bastar after she joined Naxal cadres in 1999 to ‘begin life afresh’, police said.
The slain Maoist later rose to the rank of divisional committee (DVCM) in the Naxal cadre, carrying a bounty of Rs eight lakh.
Sources said that her family members were contacted by the police to take her body for cremation.
But, they refused to accept the body, saying “We lost her 25 years ago when she joined the Naxal cadre”.
“The police however had successfully persuaded her family members to attend her last rites in Dantewada Muktidham”, police said.
Bodies of a total of 29 slain Naxals have been handed over to their respective families to perform their last rites while two deceased Maoists were yet to be identified, police said.
