JAIPUR: After a weeklong agonizing wait, the body of Chandu Ram Saran, an alleged victim of police lathicharge on farmers agitating for water, was cremated in his native village 10 LD in Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan on Tuesday. The cremation took place in the presence of a large number of people. Curfew was relaxed during the day in Gharsana, Raola and Rawatsar towns falling in Bikaner division.

The leaders of the Congress, the Left parties and Kisan Mazdoor Vyapari Sangarsh Samiti (KMVSS) who were holding on to the body demanding a package from the State Government for his family, gave in as the authorities through a senior Minister gave an assurance about the package as soon as the viscera report is available.

The funeral pyre was lit around 6 p.m. Pradesh Congress president B.D.Kalla, vice-presidents Chandra Bhan and Raghu Sharma, leaders of Left parties, Vasudev, Amra Ram, Tara Singh Siddhu, Nisha Siddhu and KMVSS leaders Sant Lekha Singh, Vallabh Kocher and Prithipal Singh attended the funeral which ended by sunset in the village on the India-Pakistan border.

"We decided for the cremation as the Government, speaking through a senior Minister, promised a package," said Mr.Kalla, on his way from Sriganganagar to Bikaner, talking to The Hindu on phone. "They will have to give the package. The deceased had multiple injuries including two on the head."

"The cremation has brought a chapter to a close but the farmers' agitation for water will continue," Prof.Vasudev said talking from 10 LD village.

"There are chances of talks between the Government and the farmers taking place on November 4. However we will go ahead with our protest programme of November 2 in the districts."

The farmers resumed their "padav" (siege) in Rawatsar on Tuesday and there would be a "mahapadav" in Kajuwala from November 6, he said.

PCC spokesperson Param Navdeep Singh in a statement here demanded resignation of Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria for trying to mislead the people on the cause of death of Chandu Ram. Mr.Kataria had earlier stated that Chandu Ram had died after heart failure. "Mr.Kataria has lied to the people. The interim post-mortem report talks about 10 different types of injuries including multiple fractures on tibia and fistula and two injuries on head. Moreover, the condition of the heart was normal."

"Mr.Kataria tried to influence the post mortem report by talking in advance about heart failure of the deceased. He has lost all the moral authority to continue in an important post like that of the Home Minister of the State," Dr.Param said.

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