Former Maoist leader and honorary president of Amaraveerula Bandhumitrula Sangham Ganti Prasadam, who was fatally attacked with sickles and revolvers at Nellore two days ago, was cremated here, his hometown, on Saturday amidst slogans of ‘Prasadam Amar Rahe’ by his family members, supporters and human rights activists. Prasadam’s son Sudheer lit the funeral pyre.
A pall of gloom descended on the town when the body of Prasadam arrived from Nellore in the morning. It was kept at the Town Kalasi Sangham office to enable his admirers to have a last glimpse of him. People came in thousands from various parts of the state and also from Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand to participate in the funeral procession.
Revolutionary Writers Association (RWA) leaders Varavara Rao and Chalasani Prasad, rights activist Haragopal, Amaraveerula Bandhumitrula Sangham state secretary Padmakka, Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi president Manda Krishna and revolutionary filmmaker R Narayana Murthy were among several friends and sympathisers who attended the cremation.
Police, suspecting the presence of Maoist leaders in the crowd, are learnt to have videographed the proceedings in the guise of journalists.
Blaming the police for Prasadam’s murder, Varavara Rao, Chalasani Prasad and Haragopal alleged that leaders speaking on behalf of people and the revolutionary movement were being eliminated one by one by the state.