Latest news with #KeshavaRao
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Keshava Rao's family allege, police imposed restrictions on 12th day rituals
Family members of top Maoist leader Nambala Keshava Rao, who was recently killed in an encounter in Chattisgarh, alleged on Sunday that the police personnel caused them mental agony by imposing many restrictions on holding the 12th day rituals at their native place, Jiyyannpeta of Kotabommali mandal in Srikakulam district. According to them, the police did not allow Maoist sympathisers, leaders of Left parties, and family members of Keshava Rao to offer floral tributes, as per tradition on the 12th day. Keshavarao's brother, N. Dhilleswara Rao said that the police personnel did not allow relatives and local people to participate in the prayers. CPI (ML) State spokesperson P. Prasad deplored the government's restrictions at every step. 'In spite of the court order, the government has not handed over the body of Keshava Rao to the family. Now, they created trouble even on the day of the rituals.'
The Wire
3 days 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
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Family of slain Maoist leader Basavraju alleges Chhattisgarh police refuse to give ashes, moves HC
SRIKAKULAM: Family members of top Maoist leader Nambala Keshava Rao, also known as Basavraju, sought the ashes following his reported cremation on Tuesday. However, police at Narayanpur allegedly detained them and asked them to sign a document written in Hindi. Keshava Rao's younger brother, Ram Prasad, who understands Hindi, refused to sign the document, claiming it was prepared by police to shield themselves from responsibility. The family reached the Jiyyannapeta on Wednesday. The issue has since circulated widely on social media and among Left-aligned and civil rights groups, which have criticised both Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh police for allegedly violating human rights by not handing over Keshava Rao's body to his family for last rites. They also alleged that a minister from Andhra Pradesh pressured a superintendent of police to provide misleading information asking the Chhattisgarh police to conduct cremation to avoid law and order issues locally. A contempt petition filed by advocates on behalf of the family has been posted for hearing on Thursday in the High Court, with petitioners hoping for a favourable order to address what they describe as excessive police action.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Basavaraj's family moves HC, seeks his mortal remains
1 2 3 Vijayawada: The family members of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basavaraj, who was killed by security forces recently, moved the high court with a house motion petition seeking directions to get his mortal remains for last rites. The family members of Sajja Venkata Nageswara Rao, who was also killed in the same encounter in Chhattisgarh, filed a similar petition. The high court is set to hear both petitions on Saturday. The mother of Keshava Rao, Bharatamma, and elder brother Dhilleswara Rao filed the petition, contending that Chhattisgarh police refused to hand over the body of Keshava Rao to his family members. They stated that police intimidated them and chased away one of the members who went to Jagadalpur to receive the mortal remains of his brother. They also alleged that Andhra Pradesh police were not cooperating and threatening them to withdraw the plans to perform the last rites of their deceased family member. The brothers of Sajja Venkata Nageswara Rao from Chirala also raised similar contentions. They also expressed doubts about the genuineness of the encounter, stating that the denial by the police to hand over the bodies is leading to suspicion that it was a fake encounter. They further contended that police are flouting norms by not allowing the family members to remain present during the inquiry by a civil surgeon, which has to be done within 24 hours of the death. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Hans India
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
No place for extremists and violent movements in society
Left Wing Extremism (LWE) received a major blow on Wednesday when security forces gunned down Nambala Keshav Rao, general secretary of Communist Party of India (Maoist), in Ambujmar forest area, once an impregnable fortress of the banned outfit in Chhattisgarh. Along with him, 26 other Maoists were killed in the fierce encounter with police. That the Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself tweeted about the encounter shows Keshav Rao's importance in the outlawed outfit. Known as Basavaraju and an engineering graduate from Regional Engineering College, Warangal (now NIT), the 71-year-old joined the banned outfit nearly four decades ago and rose to the top through ranks. A hardliner to the core, the Srikakulam native had been the key military strategist for CPI (Maoist) and the brain behind its major attacks, including the claymore mine assault on Nara Chandrababu Naidu in Tirupati in 2003. Quite ironically, Telugu people headed the extremist outfit from the beginning. Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, a noted communist leader from Krishna district, founded the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) - People's War in April 1980. Popular as the People's War Group (PWG), the outfit believed in armed struggles to achieve social and economic equality in society. It formed area-wise armed teams called dalams and fought against landlords in rural areas, especially in north Telangana, north Andhra and some parts of Rayalaseema. Seetharamaiah was at the helm of PWG till his ouster in 1991. Muppala Laxman Rao (Ganapathy), who replaced him, aggressively expanded PWG's activities beyond the Telugu-speaking region. He played a key role in the merger of the PWG and Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) to form the CPI (Maoist) in 2004. Belonging to a tiny village near Peddapalli town, he is said to have fled India after handing over the reins to Keshava Rao in 2018. It is to be seen who will lead the Maoist outfit following Basavaraju's death. Frankly speaking, there is no place for violent movements in Indian society as the country is now aiming at a higher economic growth. This is evident in the way some areas have flourished after the exit of the Maoist movement. For example, north Telangana, which reeled under the violent activities of Naxalites for several decades, flourished after the banned outfit shifted its main base to Chhattisgarh. At some point of time, it ran a parallel government in some parts of north Telangana before being wiped out after peace talks held by the YS Rajasekhara Reddy government in 2004. They operated a parallel government in several parts of Chhattisgarh as well. But the influence of Maoists has been on the wane in recent years. In January 2024, the Modi government launched Operation Kagar with 10,000 commandos with an aim to end Left Wing Extremism by March 2026. Post the launch of this biggest crackdown on the banned outfit, around 350 Maoists, including Keshava Rao, have been killed. That way, Operation Kagar dealt a big blow to the banned outfit whose activities led to the killing of 8,895 people in the last 20 years. In this age of widespread road networks and mobile communication systems, it is not easy for such armed movements to survive. Moreover, people are disenchanted with their ideology. Therefore, it's time all the ultras belonging to CPI (Maoist) surrender and join the mainstream and be rehabilitated.
