Rights group condemns withholding of slain Maoists’ bodies, demands immediate release

By A Representative 

A civil rights group, Coordination Committee for Peace, has expressed serious concern over the continued withholding of the bodies of individuals killed in a security operation conducted on May 21, 2025, in Chhattisgarh’s Abujhmarh region. The deceased, believed to be Maoists from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, have not yet been released to their families, despite assurances made before the Andhra Pradesh High Court by the Advocate General of Chhattisgarh on May 24 that post-mortem formalities would be completed and the bodies handed over.

The committee condemned the reported failure to preserve the bodies in cold storage, leading to decomposition, and termed it a violation of medico-legal norms and an affront to human dignity. It cited constitutional provisions, Supreme Court rulings, and international humanitarian laws affirming the right to dignity in death. Article 21 of the Indian Constitution and relevant Geneva Conventions were referenced in asserting the deceased’s right to respectful treatment and proper burial in accordance with their faith.

The statement also criticised the Union Government’s stance during court proceedings, where the Deputy Solicitor General opposed the release of at least two bodies, citing potential law and order issues during funeral processions. The committee called this reasoning unconstitutional and insensitive, especially since the families had already assured peaceful conduct.

Additionally, the committee alleged harassment and intimidation of family members, ambulance drivers, and others assisting in the process, calling it an abuse of state power and a source of additional trauma for grieving families.

Calling the continued detention of the bodies a moral and legal failure, the committee demanded their immediate release, an end to harassment of the bereaved, and full compliance with constitutional and international obligations regarding the treatment of the dead. The statement was jointly issued by prominent academics and activists representing the Coordination Committee for Peace.