Binoy Viswam pays homage to slain Maoist

Kozhikode: Former minister and CPI leader Binoy Viswam Friday paid his last respects to a Maoist killed in a recent 'encounter' with state police and said ideologies should not be countered with bullets.

CPI, a key partner of ruling CPI-M headed LDF, had criticised the police action in which two Maoists -- a man and a woman -- were killed on November 24 in Nilambur forests during a combing operation.

Viswam told reporters he paid his last respects to Kuppusamy Devaraj, a central committee member of the outlawed Maoist outfit, at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, with the consent of his party CPI.

The body of Devaraj was cremated here this evening.

Kerala High Court has earlier in the day directed authorities not to cremate the body of the woman Maoist till December 13 on a petition by a person seeking possession of her body.

Reflecting his party's stand that it was not in favour of physically eliminating persons who raise different opinions, Viswam said ideologies should not be countered with bullets.

"Bullets are not the solution to deal with ideologies.

Though the maoists have taken a wrong path, they should be respected for having fought for their ideologies," he said.

Earlier, police rejected a request to keep the body for public homage following protests by BJP activists.

However, relatives of Kuppu Devaraj were allowed to pay their last respects to him near the mortuary of Kozhikode Medical College hospital where the body was kept.

In the backdrop of the criticism of the encounter death by CPI and also his party veteran V S Achuthanandan among others, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said his government will not do anything that will destroy the morale of police force.

"If mistakes happen, they should be rectified without delay. But when wrong allegations crop up, they need not be taken seriously," he had said.