KOZHIKODE: The body of Maoist Ajitha, killed in police encounter in Nilambur on November 24 along with Kuppu Devaraj, was buried at West Hill crematorium on Saturday. The police brought the body from Government Medical College mortuary to the crematorium around 10.30 am, and the burial was over by noon. Her friends and rights activists were allowed to pay last respects, monitored by the police.
The procedures were carried out by police led by assistant commissioners E.P. Prithviraj and A.J. Babu and Nadakkavu CI Ashraf T.K. When the body was brought to the crematorium, the activists including Gro Vasu, Thushar Nirmal Sarathy and her former classmate Bhagavat Singh wrapped it with red cloth and laid wreaths. A red salute was also given by the tearful friends, who remembered her as a fighter, especially for women’s issues.
Unlike during the burial of Mr Devaraj, the procedures were silent, when the gathering cooperated with the police. There was a High Court directive to the government to bury her body, on a petition filed by Mr Singh. There were no anti-government slogans. They explained in Tamil about how Ms Ajitha gained acclaim during her college days, for taking up issues of sidelined women.
Ex-classmate pays last respect to fallen comrade
Bhagavat Singh and Ajitha were classmates at Dr Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai, from 1991 to 96 and they were in close contact until 2007, recollects Mr Singh, who arrived in Kozhikode to receive the body of Ajitha. However, he was not handed over the body, as the police had made it clear that there was no such directive passed to them. Mr Singh said he was satisfied that at least he could pay last respects to her.
“Both of us enrolled at Chennai High Court in 1996. She was alway regarded high by her contemporaries over her involvement in women’s issues, especially when policemen raped a married woman in Tanjore and the victim’s husband committed suicide, she had taken up a protest and called inter-college girl students agitation,” he said. The police had given sufficient time for the activists to pay homage at the crematorium. However, they allowed only Mr Singh, Gro Vasu and Nirmal Sarathy to the burial place.
