Cops cremate Maoist leader's body

Two days after the Andhra Pradesh high court asked the family of slain Maoist leader Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju to approach the Chhattisgarh police authorities and seek custody of his body, the Chhattisgarh police cremated his body in Narayanpur district claiming that "no legal claimants" had come forward.

- Ritesh Mishra [e-mail]

RAIPUR:

Basavaraju, 72, the top leader of the banned Maoist organisation since 2018, was among 27 Maoists killed in encounter with District Reserve Guard (DRG) in the dense Kudmel-Kalhaja-Jatloor forest area of Abujhmad on May 21. The gun-battle, described as one of the most significant anti-Maoist operations in recent years, resulted in the recovery of a large cache of arms, including weapons looted in earlier deadly ambushes.