Mrunal Manmay Dash

Malkangiri: After lying for more than two days despite police knowledge, the body of Dinabandhu Bepari, who was shot dead by suspected Maoists at Bihanagudi village under Jodamba Gram Panchayat on Sunday was finally recovered from the spot by his family members and taken for autopsy today.

Family members alleged that the police didn’t pay attention to their request and let the body rot on the road for more than two days. Dejected by the apathy of police, they reportedly brought the body by tying it on the back of a motorbike to Hantalguda for 20 kms from where the body was transported to Malkangiri hospital for post mortem.

A blood soaked letter was reportedly recovered from the shirt pocket of the deceased through which the suspected left wing extremists have warned the locals not to toe the line of either police or the administration and surrender before their parallel court in three days failing which they would meet the same fate as Dinabandhu as well.

Speaking to mediapersons, a relative of Dinabandhu alleged, “Despite our repeated requests to investigate the death, police neither went to the spot nor provided any assistance to move the body which is why we made our own arrangements and brought the body on a motorcycle,” he added.

A grief stricken nephew of Dinabandhu said, “There is a police station near the spot where my uncle was killed. We requested the police many times to recover the body but they denied saying there might be land mines put by the Maoists in the area.”

Notably, some people believed to be left wing extremists allegedly called Dinabandhu out to Panasput market and killed him midway suspecting him to be a police informer.

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