Maoists cremated in Narayanpur, families accuse police of betrayal
Narayanpur | Correspondent: Amid heavy rain and high security Narayanpur police officials carried out the cremation of 8 Naxalites on Monday afternoon.
Tensions arose after the family members of the deceased Naxalites, who had come from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, accused the police of betrayal. They claimed the police had promised to hand over the bodies but instead secretly cremated them without their permission.
Besides, local tribal residents had requested the police not to use their traditional cremation ground for this purpose.
A large number of police personnel were deployed at the site. Drums of diesel were brought in to help burn the bodies, as the wood was wet due to the rain. The police tried to ignite the fire by pouring diesel on the damp wood.
According to the press release by the police officials, Out of the 27 Maoist bodies recovered, 20 have been handed over to their families after identity verification.
Families of the deceased had come from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with one family even requesting cremation in Narayanpur due to concerns about disease from decomposing bodies.
The remaining 7 unclaimed bodies, including that of Basavaraju, were cremated in Narayanpur as per legal procedures and with an order from the Executive Magistrate. One of these cremated bodies, belonging to a Maoist identified as Kosi alias Hungi, was cremated by her family.
Family Seeks Court Help for Basavaraju’s Body; Police Deny Refusal
The day after the declaration of Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, who was killed in a police-maoist encounter. The family had alleged that the Chhattisgarh government refused to hand over his body, while the Andhra Pradesh police warned them not to bring the body to Srikakulam, citing possible law and order issues.
Basavaraju's mother and brother have approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court, seeking the body’s release. The court has asked the Chhattisgarh police to hand over the body to the family.
However, Chhattisgarh police have denied the accusation that they refused to hand over the body.
Top Maoist Leader Basavaraju Killed in Abujhmad; Accused in 258 Cases
Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the General Secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist). Basavaraju, one of India’s most wanted Maoist leaders with a ₹1 crore bounty, was neutralized along with 26 other armed Maoists in the forests of Abujhmad.
In a historic anti-Naxal operation on May 21, 2025, security forces in Narayanpur achieved a major breakthrough by killing Basavraju.
Basavaraju, who had led the CPI (Maoist) since 2018 and was earlier the head of its Central Military Commission, was accused in over 258 criminal cases. Police say he played a major role in recruiting tribal youth by force, disrupting the lives of thousands of families in Bastar and across central India.
