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The Wire
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Not Even Skeletal Remains, Ashes of N. Keshava Rao and Other Slain Maoists Given to Kin
Hyderabad: Not only did the Chhattisgarh police cremate the bodies of Communist Party of India (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao and some others killed in the May 21 encounter in Abujhmad in the state's Narayanpur district on their own, they also refused permission to the deceased's relatives to even fetch their skeletal remains and ashes. Judicial intervention to help the relatives' cause also went in vain. In Keshava Rao's case, his kin also asked the police to hand over his spectacles that were recovered from the encounter site, but their request was not conceded. Of the 28 Maoists killed in the encounter, the police handed over 20 bodies to their kin but cremated the remaining eight themselves. The eight were Kesava Rao, four people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and three from Chhattisgarh. Keshava Rao's younger brother Ramprasad told The Wire that the stock reply they got from police was that a law and order problem would emerge if they handed over the bodies or remains. There would be a global congregation of rights activists as Keshava Rao was well known internationally. Then, a demand for the construction of a martyrs memorial would also be made. All this can lead to a law and order situation, he cited the police as saying. It was said that the police acted on instructions from the Chhattisgarh government to check the 'hero worship' of martyrs, as this could radicalise gatherings and lead to the recruitment of cadres. There were also concerns that a crowd may want to organise a rally. Ramprasad said the eight bodies were cremated by the police on the evening of May 26 despite orders by the Andhra Pradesh high court that they be handed over to their relatives. He and the relatives of other slain Maoists, including Sajja Venkata Nageswara Rao – who was an editorial board member of the Awam-e-Jung publication of the Maoist party – had reached Narayanpur on May 22 with three ambulances to take the bodies with them after hearing about the encounter, but were turned away by the police as they could not produce documents to establish their relationship with the deceased. Neither did they have Aadhaar cards, family photos or certification by the sarpanches of their respective villages in support of their claim for the bodies. With no other option, Ramprasad and others returned to Andhra Pradesh to knock on the doors of the judiciary. A vacation bench of the court at Amaravati, comprising Justices N. Harinath and Y. Lakshmana Rao, had disposed of two petitions on behalf of Keshava Rao and Venkata Nageswara Rao on May 24, asking their relatives to approach the Chhattisgarh police and claim the dead bodies in the wake of an assurance given by the advocate general of Chhattisgarh. The bench made the observation after hearing arguments from both sides on the court's territorial jurisdiction. The advocate general of Chhattisgarh, who appeared virtually, initially argued that the court was not competent to entertain the petition of the relatives as 'no cause of action arose within the jurisdiction of this court'. On the other hand, the deputy solicitor general, who also argued online on behalf of the Central Reserve Police Force that was involved in the encounter, said there could be a reason for not handing over the dead bodies as doing so could lead to a law and order situation. Under the guise of performing final rites, there could be a procession that may further escalate the law and order problem, the deputy solicitor general argued. Andhra Pradesh's advocate general, who was also present via videoconference, agreed with his Chhattisgarh counterpart that the high court of the latter state would have to be approached as the dead bodies were not in the custody of any state authorities within this court's remit. However, a senior counsel for the petitioners submitted that Article 226(2) of the constitution enabled his clients to seek relief from Andhra Pradesh even though the incident occurred in Chhattisgarh. He relied on a Supreme Court judgement that said a court can issue appropriate directions when part of a cause of action arose within the limits of the state that it adjudicated. Without going into the issue of the court's territorial jurisdiction, the bench disposed of the petitions, recording the submission of Chhattisgarh's advocate general that the post-mortem examination of the bodies would be completed on the same day (May 24) and 'they would be handed over to their relatives later'. Armed with the court order, Ramprasad and others went back to Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh to claim the bodies. But to their dismay, the police refused to hand over the bodies and instead offered to let them watch the cremation from a distance if they gave an undertaking giving consent to security forces to cremate the bodies. The cremation was to take place at a burial ground for tribal people on May 26. But they refused to sign any papers and returned to proceed with their ceremonies at home. Upon learning about the cremation, Chilaka Chandrasekhar, secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Civil LIberties Committee, filed a contempt petition in the Andhra Pradesh high court on May 27, with notices to Chhattisgarh's chief secretary and its director general of police, as well as to the inspector general of police of the Bastar region, P. Sundarraj, alleging a violation of the court's earlier order. He prayed for action against the senior officials for going back on a promise given to the court to hand over the bodies. But the court dismissed the case on the grounds that it cannot entertain a contempt petition for an incident that occurred in Chhattisgarh. The submissions of the advocates general of Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh could not be attributed as an undertaking by Chhattisgarh officials, it said. An interim application filed in the court asking the Chhattisgarh government to give the skeletal remains and ashes to the kin was also turned down during arguments on May 29. Asked for comment, Sundarraj told The Wire that the bodies were disposed of after following due process and instructions from the executive magistrate. He did not want to elaborate further as the court had taken cognisance of the matter. The relatives of one deceased person from Chhattisgarh expressed unwillingness to carry his mortal remains to their village, apprehending the spread of communicable diseases. Chandrasekhar told The Wire that civil rights activist and research scholar Bela Bhatia mediated efforts by relatives to secure the bodies. It was she who learnt about the recovery of Keshava Rao's spectacles.
New Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
CPM MP John Brittas cites Salman Khurshid to highlight India's secular fabric, slams Pakistan army chief in Jakarta
Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas delivered a strongly worded address in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday, where he criticized Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir for remarks allegedly suggesting fundamental differences between Hindus and Muslims. Speaking to the Indian diaspora as part of an all-party delegation, Brittas used the platform to underscore India's pluralistic and secular ethos. Referring to Munir's reported comments, Brittas asked: 'Can you ever vouch for that? And Salman Khurshid is here… We are all together. I am from Kerala… I am a Christian. In Kerala, we have three major religions. We coexist in harmony. That is the message of India.' Brittas highlighted Kerala's communal harmony as an example of India's inclusive character, contrasting it with Pakistan's record. He went on to reference a past interview with Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in which Asif allegedly admitted that Pakistan had long supported and harbored terrorist organizations: 'Pakistan has been asking for evidence. Khawaja Asif, the defence minister of Pakistan, had said in an interview that they have been indulging in this dirty job of nurturing and harbouring terrorist organisations for three decades...' The remarks signal a pointed critique not just of General Munir, but also of Pakistan's long-standing policies, while simultaneously promoting India's image as a country rooted in religious harmony and democratic values.
New Indian Express
10 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
CPI(M) alleges Bengali-speaking Muslims 'pushed back' without verification in post-Pahalgam crackdown
NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday alleged that Bengali-speaking Muslims are being targeted without any verification and demanded that the government should deal with those who have entered the country illegally according to laid-out procedures. In a statement, the Politburo of CPI(M) said it condemns the "inhuman 'push-back' and deportation of suspected Bangladeshi citizens". "The government should deal with those who have entered the country illegally according to the well-laid out procedures," it said. The Left party alleged that in the "aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, BJP-led state governments and the central government are targeting particularly Bengali-speaking Muslims and without any verification, pushed them to Bangladesh". According to reports, some genuine Indian citizens too are arrested and pushed into Bangladesh, it alleged. "Even those citizens who were declared foreign nationals by the foreigners tribunals, but whose appeals are still pending before the high court in Assam and the Supreme Court, have been forcibly pushed back. This should not be allowed," it said.
Scoop
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Defend The Adivasis Of Central India. Ceasefire And Peace Talks Now
It is not just Palestine that is under siege. Central India is also embroiled in an all-out-war that is killing the Indigenous Adivasi people. Like Israel, the Indian state has also committed countless harrowing violations to the international humanitarian law – but toward its own people, in order to seize the mineral-rich land of the region for its neoliberal agenda. To open Central India to foreign investments and corporate plunder, the government launched its military campaign against Naxals (Maoist rebels). However, this campaign has mainly targeted the civilian Adivasi communities and their advocates. Recently, the government intensified its attacks through routine harassment, extrajudicial killings, mass sexual violence, illegal arrests and detention in security camps, and aerial bombings, especially in the region of Bastar, Chhattisgarh and the Karegatta Hills, Telangana. Many of the state-perpetrated killings are covered up as deaths from fake encounters. In Bastar alone, over 400 of these killings were reported since January 2024, which included elderly and children casualties. This year, hundreds of cases of rape, unlawful arrests of activists, and the burning of over 300 villages in Bastar have been documented. All this brutal violence is justified under the pretense of counter-insurgency, which has reinforced the land grabbing and forcible displacement of communities already legitimized by deceptive policies such as the Scheduled Tribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act (FRA). The constitutional rights granted to Adivasis for self-governance are blatantly ignored and violated to favor exploitation of natural resources through the rapid expansion of infrastructure for intensive extractive industries, which in turn threaten the lives and livelihoods of the Adivasis, attack their food systems, and destroy the environment. The People's Coalition on Food Sovereignty expresses its grave concern over the situation, particularly the employment of state militarization that is pushing the Adivasi population into starvation and destitution. Moreover, we strongly condemn the violations to human rights and the international humanitarian law committed by the Indian state and its forces in the name of counter-insurgency to acquire Adivasi lands and plunder their communities' resources. We call out the India government for its war crimes, including the extrajudicial killings of Naxal combatants – even the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) – that have been seeking deescalation through their unilateral ceasefire declaration. We urge to heed the appeals for ceasefire and peace talks and immediately suspend the national and regional counter-insurgency programs behind Central India's militarization that are killing the Adivasis (such as Operation Kagar in Bastar and Operation Black Forest in Karegatta Hills). The root causes of armed conflict will never be addressed by the further escalation of wars and military offensives that only contribute to people's hunger and impoverishment. There would never be a need for the people to take up arms in the first place if their socio-economic demands and civil liberties – especially concerning the right to food and land – are met and pro-people development is prioritized over profit.
India Gazette
a day ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
CPI MP writes to Civil Aviation Minister, demands Bihta airport be named after peasant leader Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
New Delhi [India], May 30 (ANI): Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar has written to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, demanding that the upcoming Bihta Airport in Bihar be named after legendary peasant leader Swami Sahajanand Saraswati. In his letter, Kumar wrote, 'I write to demand that the Ministry of Civil Aviation to name the upcoming Bihta Airport in Bihar after Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, one of the tallest leaders of the peasant movement and the first President of the All India Kisan Sabha.' 'Swami Sahajanand Saraswati was not only a spiritual scholar but also an uncompromising champion of the oppressed peasantry. His leadership in Bihar during the colonial era fundamentally altered the landscape of agrarian politics. He led massive struggles against the exploitative zamindari system and built powerful farmer mobilisations that laid the foundation of the modern Kisan movement in India,' Kumar wrote. 'As a staunch advocate of socialism and a lifelong fighter for justice, his political convictions brought him close to the Communist movement, and he remains a towering figure in India's progressive and agrarian legacy,' he added. The Kerala MP further said that naming the airport after Swami Sahajanand would 'not merely be symbolic--it would be historically and morally befitting. It would honour the legacy of a great son of Bihar who dedicated his life to the upliftment of peasants and rural poor and whose vision still resonates with lakhs of kisans across the country.' 'At a time when the rural and agrarian question is once again at the centre of national discourse, recognising such a figure is not just timely, but necessary. We hope this demand will be met with the seriousness it deserves and that the Ministry will take the appropriate steps to ensure that Swami Sahajanand Saraswati's name and legacy are given the recognition they rightfully deserve,' he added. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new terminal building of Patna Airport and laid the foundation stone for a new civil enclave at Bihta Airport on the city's outskirts. (ANI)
