Killed in encounter; Amid grief and protest, Maoist leader Velmurukan's dead body cremated

Calicut: The sight of her wriggling and shot dead son, who left home about a decade before, broke the heart of that mother. The grief of Kannamma, Mother of the maoist leader Velmurugan who was killed in Padinjarathara Police firing, echoed in the mortuary's silence.

After Looking at Velmurugan's face for about 15 minutes in the mortuary with her another son Adv. A. Murugan, Kannamma came out holding the hand of a lady police officer. She sobbed in front of the mortuary too. She was requesting her dear one to open his eyes and wake up. The efforts to console her by the people present there, including A Vasu, was of no avail, she kept on crying. Later, Kannamma went near the vehicle and relaxed.

Tears still welled up in her eyes as she was giving the testimony in front of the First Class Magistrate who came for magisterial enquiry.

It was around 3.45pm on 4th November Kannamma and Adv. Murukan reached from Periyakulam-Puthukotta in Theni district of Tamilnadu to see the deadbody of killed maoist leader.

At 6 p.m they visited the mortuary. At 7.15 pm the authorities collected blood samples of Kannamma and Adv. Murugan for DNA inspection from the emergency department of the Medical College

Initially both of them were taken inside and allowed to see only the face of Velmurugan. Later, it was when the brother strongly demanded that the whole body be shown, the police agreed.They were accompanied by relative Kumar, Advocates namely Keshavan, Raja and Jyoti. Relatives say Velmurugan was not in contact with his family for past 12 years.

Security was provided by 75 policemen in front of the mortuary. Also The Intelligence Bureau foretold the chances of gathering and protest by the members and Activist in pro-Maoist Organisations infront of the mortuary.

Police also restrained people from sloganeering in front of the Medical College Hospital,Calicut. Moreover, Human Right Activists griped that the Kerala Police also denied permission to wrap the body with a red flag whereas the Tamil Nadu Police allowed it during the cremation ceremony.

Meanwhile, allegations are being levelled against Kerala police and the state government over the claim that the Maoist was shot during an encounter. Velmurugan was shot in the back of the left ear, head and left arm.

Apart from the suspicion over the injuries and the location of the dead body, it is alleged that the shooting was aimed at killing Velmurugan who ran away at the sight of police.

However Police denied such allegations, repeating that the maoists initiated firing and it was only under self defence they shot back during the patrolling.

In addition, the postmortem report states that Velmurugan had four bullets and more than 40 wounds. His brother, Advocate Murugan said that the number of bullets fired together was not a confrontation but evidence that the police fired at close range with intent to kill.

According to police, an encounter took place between the Kerala police and a gang of Left extremists in Kerala's Wayanad district early on 3rd November.The encounter took place in the forests in Bhaskaran Para in Banasura forest which covers border with Karnataka.

On October 30 last year, four Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire in the forest area of Palakkad district.

A suspected Maoist leader C P Jaleel was killed early in March last year in an exchange of fire with police personnel at a resort in Wayanad.