DC convinces saffron groups, family to facilitate peaceful funeral of Deepak Rao

Mangaluru, Jan 4: After the cops thwarted a planned funeral procession through the city on Thursday morning, by secretly transporting slain youth Deepak Rao’s dead body in an ambulance to the victim’s house, the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada took the responsibility of convincing the agitating mob to allow the family members to conduct the last rites peacefully.

Earlier, angered over the cops move of aborting funeral procession, thousands of saffron activists had gathered outside the house of Deepak Rao at Ganeshpura near Katipalla and tried to pressurise the police to allow them to take out funeral procession in the city before conducting funeral rites and cremation. The saffron groups also had convinced the family members of the victim to oppose the move of police. They demanded that home minister should visit the spot before holding final rites.

However, after a prolonged effort, the Deputy Commissioner S Sasikanth Senthil persuaded the family members and saffron groups to conduct the funeral rites peacefully on Thursday afternoon.

The DC also announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of the victim. He said that a compensation of Rs 5 lakh will be immediately paid to the family and another Rs 5 lakh would be paid from the Chief Minister’s fund. M  Senthil also promised the family members that he would recommend payment of enhanced compensation.

He said the government was deeply pained over the incident wherein the family has lost its only breadwinner. It should not have happened, he said and added as the representative of the government, he was there with the family. The body was later taken to the cremation ground.

Finally the funeral rites were conducted amidst tight security in accordance with the Shivaji Kshatriya customs at Janata Colony crematorium. Victim’s younger brother Satish lit the pyre.

Saffron activists shouted the slogan ‘Deepak Rao amar rahe’ as the last rites were performed. They also sang bhajans. Arrangements were made for the viewing the body for just a while, before cremation.

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