The Chhattisgarh Police was in the dock on Wednesday for demanding back Rs10,000 it had spent on performing the last rites of a Special Police Officer, felled in an encounter with Naxals, from his family, in a shocking case of insensitivity which triggered outrage. Kishore Pandey, a SPO, was killed in a naxal attack in May 2011 and sum of Rs 10,000 was then spent on performing his last rites from the police welfare fund.
As the issue snowballed into an embarrassing controversy, Chief Minister Raman Singh expressed his displeasure and ordered issuance of a show cause notice to the Superintendent of Police and suspension of an inspector for issuing the notice.
"I have today directed that the SP should be issued a show cause notice and the officer who has issued that notice be suspended with immediate effect. We need to be sensitive with the people who are in pain due to loss of their family members," a visibly upset Singh said.
Raman Singh said administration's effort should be to provide assistance to the families of those killed fighting Naxalites. "Officers at the lower level need to be sensitive," he said. Superintendent of Police of Gariyabandh Abhishek Pathak said Pandey had been martyred in 2011 after which an immediate assistance of Rs10,000 was extended for his last rites.