NEW DELHI: The body of Ramankutty Maniappan, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) driver killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan on Saturday, was flown in here late on Thursday. This `solider of peace' was conferred military honours of the kind reserved for the Kargil martyrs.

Draped in the tricolour, the body was placed on Shraddhanjali Sthal. It was there the bodies of soldiers who died in the Kargil war were placed.

Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahmed, senior BRO officials and Members of Parliament from Kerala were present at the ceremony that began at 6.30 p.m.

Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Army, the BRO and the Kerala Government. The body of Maniappan would be kept at the Research and Referral Hospital of the Army before being flown to his village in Kerala on Friday. Kerala MPs K.S. Manoj and V. Radhakrishnan, BRO Additional Director-General T.P. Velayudhan and Brigadier of the General Reserved Engineering Force K.R.K. Nair will accompany the body. A bag containing his belongings will be handed over to the family.

"His family feels that the Government did not do enough. There was some laxity on the part of the Government. We met the Prime Minister earlier in the day and he assured us that every effort had been made. A committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary had been formed and the Prime Minister personally talked to Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. But no one was sent to Kabul; we felt that an emissary should have been sent immediately after the news of kidnapping," said Dr. Manoj, who represents Alappuzha, where Manippan's village, Chingoli, is located.

Unhappy with the Government's handling of the incident, the Kerala MPs said more should have been done at the diplomatic level. "There is a lot of apprehension in Kerala. We expressed our belief to the Government that it did not act promptly. They could not talk to the kidnappers in time. There should be better security for Indians working abroad, especially in Afghanistan," said Mr. Radhakrishnan.

The MPs are waiting for the Prime Minister's statement in Parliament on Friday. "He has assured us that he will tell us all that the Government has done," said P.C. Thomas, MP.

Denying that the Government did not do its best to save Maniappan, Mr. Ahmed said: "The Government made all possible efforts. There is no justification for the anger."

Family inconsolable

Allapuzha Staff Reporter writes

The members of Puthenveetil Thekkethil House, Chingoli, woke up on Thrusday morning to the reality that their sole breadwinner, Maniappan, was no more.

It was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that Maniappan had been killed by the Taliban. Ramakutty, father of Maniappan, Maniamma, his mother, and Bindu, his wife, had words of comfort from relatives and friends who stayed in the house with them. They are all waiting for the arrival of the body. The Government said the body would arrive on Friday.

The relatives and friends will leave after the funeral, likely to be held on Friday evening.

Support to family

Neighbours brought food for the family on Thursday.

The family members seemed to be trying to reconcile themselves with the reality.

The relatives forced Maniamma and Bindu to eat some food. Ms. Bindu seemed to be in a semi-conscious state unable to come out of her grief. The elder child Ajay, a third standard student, sat in a corner, grief stricken. The three-year old younger child Akshay sat huddled with his mother.

Relatives worried

The relatives and friends of Maniappan asked mediapersons whether it was true that the body had been found in a decomposed state. They seemed worried by the thought that the abductors might have tortured Maniappan.

CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, the party leader M.A. Baby and Hindu Aikya Vedi State secretary Kummanam Rajasekharan called on the parents and wife of Maniappan on Thursday.

The villagers took out a silent rally to pay their respects to him. An all religion prayer was held in the house in the evening.

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