Hyderabad: The last rites of slain Maoist leader Kishenji were performed Sunday in his hometown Peddapalli in Andhra Pradesh, attended by a larger number of slogan-shouting supporters including one Congress MP and some other politicians.
He was cremated amid slogans of "Llong live Kishenji" and "Lal Salam" (Red Salute). Among those in attendance were many former comrades and a large number of people including Maoist sympathisers, writers, singers, representatives of activist groups, civil liberties and leaders of political parties.
MP G. Vivek (Congress) and E. Rajender, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader in the assembly, were among the key politicians who paid their last respects to the leader of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist. A huge gathering of mourners bid a tearful adieu to Kishenji, who played a key role in strengthening the Maoist movement in several states including Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.
The funeral procession, which began from Kishenji's house, reached Gundam Cheruvu cremation ground after passing through different parts of the town.
Kishenji's mother Madhuramma was inconsolable on seeing the body of her son, who went into hiding over three decades ago. Kishenji's former comrades and his school and college friends were among those who paid their last respects.
It took three hours for the procession to reach the cremation ground. The turnout was huge despite police attempts to stop people from other places from entering the town. Maoist sympathizers accused police of imposing restrictions on people's movement in the town. Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji, who was number three in the CPI-Maoist, was killed by security forces Thursday in West Bengal.
Revolutionary writer P. Varavara Rao, who along with Kishenji's niece brought the body from Kolkata, lit the funeral pyre along with the slain man's nephew.
Though Maoist sympathizers wanted to bury him in line with the Maoist tradition, Kishenji's family decided to cremate him as per the Brahminical traditions. Maoist sympathizers Gaddar, Kalyan Rao, Vimalakka and Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) leader Manda Krishna Madiga attended the last rites.
Police kept a tight vigil on the funeral procession amid reports that Kishenji's younger brother M. Venugopala Rao, also a Maoist leader, would attend the event. Earlier, people in large numbers turned up at Kishenji's house to pay their tribute. With folded hands, mourners passed by the flower bedecked coffin amid police presence.
Revolutionary balladeer Gaddar sang songs eulogizing the slain leader. Varavara Rao read out a statement from the central committee of CPI-Maoist paying rich tributes to Kishenji and calling for a two-day "Bharat bandh" Dec 4 and 5.
The statement alleged that Kishenji was arrested, tortured and then killed in cold blood by the security forces as part of a "conspiracy" by the central and West Bengal governments. Kishenji's body was shifted to the town in Karimnagar district, 200 km from here, by the police late Saturday.
Police took control of the body as soon as it arrived at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad, about 25 km from Hyderabad, Saturday night. Police foiled the attempts of Maoist supporters to take the body into the city and keep it at Tank Bund to enable people to pay their last respects.
"They not only killed him in cold blood but are also denying us the right to pay our last respects and perform his last rites the way we want to do it," complained Varvara Rao.
Source: IANS
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