Thaindian News

Ranchi, Oct 7 (IANS) Thousands of people Wednesday bid a tearful adieu to Jharkhand police inspector Francis Induwar, whose mutilated body was found on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur highway six days after he had been abducted by Maoist guerrillas.
Thousands of people accompanied the funeral procession to Ranchi’s Roman Catholic Church, where the archbishop offered special prayers.

Induwar was buried with full state honours at the church graveyard with mourners holding up banners saying “We salute you Francis” and “The killers of Francis should be hanged”.

Amongst the many mourners, who tried to keep their tears in check, were his inconsolable widow Sunita and three children.

“Is this the justice of Maoist rebels. Killing innocent people cannot be termed a fight for the poor and repressed people,” said Roshan Kerkettka, who attended the prayer service.

While hundreds of Special Branch officers attended the funeral procession of the slain cop, Congress legislator Niel Tirkey was the only politician present.

Jharkhand Governor K. Shankarnarayan has termed the killing an act of cowardice and announced Rs.10 lakh as compensation to Induwar’s family as well as a government job.

Induwar’s decapitated body was found near Raisa Ghati on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur highway Tuesday morning. He had been abducted Sep 30 from the Hembrum market of Khuti district.

Maoist rebels, according to local Hindi newspaper reports, wanted to swap arrested leaders - Kobad Ghandy, Chhatradhar Mahto and Bhushan Yadav - for Induwar. Jharkhand police, however, denied such reports.