Kerala rape case: Rights panel for dropping cremation, invites minister ire

Thiruvananthapuram: The body of the murdered Latvian tourist, was cremated at Santhikavadom public crematorium here on Thursday afternoon, despite an order of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission to bury it and not cremate it. Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that commission acting chairperson P. Mohanadas was playing cheap politics over the issue. He also flayed the BJP for politicising the matter and moving against the cremation.

“The body was cremated as per the wish of the victim’s family members. The rights panel could have sought the family’s opinion before issuing any order against it. Such an act was a shame for the state,” Mr. Surendran said and added that he had not seen the order before the cremation. BJP Thiruvananthapuram district president S. Suresh had approached the human rights commission maintaining that the centre’s permission was required to cremate the body of a tourist who was murdered.

He also said that the victim was a Christian and hence as per their rites, the body should be buried. The commission acting chairperson ordered to bury it based on this. Mr. Suresh alleged that though the order was handed over to state police chief Loknath Behera before the funeral, the body was cremated. This was mysterious, he said.