Basavaraj's family moves HC, seeks his mortal remains
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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.
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