THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A controversy has erupted over the cremation of the murdered Latvian tourist with the State Human Rights Commission issuing an order just before the cremation that the body should be buried instead. Commission acting chairman P Mohanadas’s order came on a petition filed by BJP district president S Suresh who alleged the government had shown undue haste in deciding to cremate the body when the credibility of the investigation itself was under question. The body of the Latvian woman was cremated at the Santhi Kavadam at 4 pm.
Mohanadas told Express his order was issued at 3.30 pm and it was e-mailed to the Chief Secretary and the State Police Chief immediately. “We will not close the case. They have easily brushed aside the commission’s order and gone ahead with the cremation. They will have to face the consequences,” he said. The petitioner had pointed out that the body should be buried as a re-autopsy might be required as more evidence comes to light. Also, the dead woman was a practising Christian whose faith required her body to be buried after death, Suresh said in his petition. He alleged the autopsy that was performed had not brought out all the facts relating to her death.
In the commission’s order Mohanadas directed the Chief Secretary and the State Police Chief to “bury the body of the deceased instead of cremation (sic) as per the Christian beliefs and rites and file a report in the matter within a week”.Earlier on Thursday, BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan also had termed the government decision to cremate the body as premature.
‘Conspiracy behind decision to cremate’T’Puram: BJP MP
V Muraleedharan has alleged a conspiracy behind the decision to cremate the body of the Latvian tourist instead of letting her sister take the body back home. Though the police claim the culprits have been arrested, several links in the chain are yet to be identified, he said in a statement. Undue haste was shown in cremating the body so as to prevent the family from taking the mortal remains back home and conducting a fresh autopsy, which could throw up fresh evidence that shows the government in a bad light, he said. Both the dead woman’s boyfriend and her sister had accused the police of botching the investigation. “It should be suspected they were threatened to protect the government from getting a bad name,” Muraleedharan said.