Beltangady: Anti-Naxal Operation - Cause of Mane's Death Remains Mystery
Daijiworld Media Network – Beltangady (SP)
Beltangady, Oct 14: It is learnt that the preliminary post mortem report relating to the death of Anti-Naxal Force constable, Mahadeva S Mane, has failed to pinpoint the cause of his death. It may be recalled that Mahadeva had lost his life during an exchange of fire with a naxal gang at Manjalkad near Savanalu in Beltangady on Sunday October 9.
This has provided further fodder to speculations that Mahadeva had lost his life either during the cross fire between the policemen and naxals, or because of a police bullet that ricocheted from a tree.
Sources said that the team of forensic scientists have not mentioned cause of death in the said report. The team simply said that a detailed report would be made available after a test report is received on some items which have been forwarded to forensic laboratory for testing. Things like some metallic fragments, blood samples and other things have been sent for forensic testing, it is gathered.
On the basis of rigor mortis procedure, the report has concluded that the policeman had died six to 18 hours prior to the post mortem and that the bones inside the body had been broken.
A team which was investigating the incident has gone back to Bangalore. Reportedly, another team will arrive here soon to continue the same. In the meantime, the arms handled by 14 persons belonging to the squad of which Mane was part of, have been seized. In all likelihood, these guns will be tested by the forensic experts.
Some locals believe that the loud shouts of women supposedly heard by the policemen immediately after the incident, which was thought to be the victory cry let out by the naxal gang, might have been the shouts of the women who keep watch over their farms to protect the crops from the menace of wild boars. They would have shouted after hearing gun shots, thinking that hunters had killed a boar, the locals feel.
In the meantime, Beltangady assembly committe of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), has urged for handing over the above investigation to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Its taluk committee president, Akbar Beltangady, and secretary, Anis Gerukatte, said that the region has not witnessed any naxal activity since long. They pointed out that a bullet had entered the body of the deceased solder from his back, but has not come out from the other side. At the same time, the bullet in question has gone missing. They said that because of suspicious nature of the occurances, an investigation by CBI alone can bring out the truth.