In a shocking display of apathy towards the cops martyred in the anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Sunday night, the local administration ferried the coffins of three jawans in a municipality garbage collection truck to the district headquarters town of Dantewada on Monday for the customary guard of ceremony.
The disrespect shown to the deceased jawans has sparked widespread protests from all quarters in the state, forcing the Dantewada district collector, Mr Om Prakash Choudhury, to order a probe into the “shameful” incident on Tuesday.
“It is a shocking incident. I have ordered an inquiry to ascertain under what circumstances, the bodies were moved in the municipality garbage collection vehicle”, Mr Choudhury told this newspaper.
Three of the four jawans, killed in a Naxal landmine blast near Kirandul in the district on Sunday night, were carried in the municipality vehicle, reportedly requisitioned by the local police.
Chhattisgarh DGP Vishwaranjan told reporters here said the decision to ferry the coffins of the three martyrs in municipality garbage collection vehicle was taken as no ambulance was readily available at Kirandul.
In a repetition of similar treatment to two of the deceased, an ambulance carrying the bodies from Dantewada to their home town of Jashpur was stranded for five-long hours at Raigarh due to break down of the vehicle early on Tuesday morning. The family members accompanying the bodies, begged the local administration for alternate arrangement, but to no avail.