Chhattisgarh: Violence erupts in Kanker village over burial; several including cops injured
Kanker (PTI): Several people including more than 20 police personnel were injured in violence at Badetevda village in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Thursday following a dispute between two communities over the burial of a deceased man.
A mob vandalised a prayer hall and set fire to articles inside. An Additional Superintendent of Police was among the injured, but the situation was now under control, officials said.
Tensions had been brewing since December 16 after Rajman Salam, sarpanch of Badetevda village under Amabeda police station area, buried his father Chamra Ram Salam's body on his private land.
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While Salam follows Christianity, some villagers objected to his father's burial being performed as per Christian rites, said a senior police official.
Some villagers raised suspicion over the manner of the death, demanding exhumation of the body. They also alleged that the burial was not conducted in accordance with local customs, the official said.
Acting on the complaint, an executive magistrate ordered exhumation which was carried out on Thursday afternoon in the presence of police and district officials. An inquest and post-mortem examination will be conducted and further legal action will follow, the official said.
"The issue created a tense situation in the village. Groups confronted each other and incidents of stone-pelting occurred. Police took steps to control the situation. There was also damage to property," the official said.
More than 20 police personnel, including an ASP, sustained injuries and were sent to hospital, he said.
In a video statement released on December 17, Rajman Salam had said that his father died due to an illness at a hospital in Kanker on the evening of December 15.
His body was brought to the village the next morning, following which he informed gram panchayat members and village elders that although he had embraced Christianity, his father did not attend church, he said.
Hence, he wanted his father to be buried as per village customs, and he himself wanted to participate in the last rites, said Rajman.
But a rival who had lost to him in the sarpanch election opposed his participation, he claimed.
"As I was not allowed to participate, I called my Vishwasi (Christian) friends and performed the burial as per our (Christian) rituals," Rajman said.
Those who had lost the panchayat polls mobilised outsiders and instigated protests demanding exhumation of the body, he alleged. Police had asked for his consent for exhumation to avoid escalation of the dispute, but he had refused, he said.
According to police, there were minor clashes on Wednesday following which security was tightened and barricades were erected to prevent outsiders from entering Badetevda. However, on Thursday, some people who were carrying sticks entered the village, triggering fresh violence, said an official.
After the body was exhumed, a mob went on a rampage and vandalised a prayer hall. Police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
Police have restricted the entry of outsiders for now and deployed additional force in the area.
#WATCH | North Bastar Kanker, Chhattisgarh | Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kanker, Dinesh Sinha says, "Under the Ambedkar Police Station area, a dispute occurred between two sections of society over the burial of a body. Police were deployed in large numbers, and they… pic.twitter.com/gA5Ca8rPfi
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2025
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Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance announcement for civic polls likely next week
Mumbai (PTI): The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are likely to announce next week their alliance for the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra, with seat-sharing for all the civic bodies, except Mumbai, almost complete, leaders of both the parties said.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the all-important Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held on January 15, and the counting of votes will take place the next day.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS will forge an alliance for the polls in municipal corporations of Mumbai, Thane, Mira-Bhayandar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune and Nashik, among others.
The Sena (UBT) is headed by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, while his once-estranged cousin Raj is the president of the MNS.
"Talks for all civic bodies, except Mumbai, are complete. The sticking point is about the seats that we are demanding in Marathi-dominated areas. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is not still not agreeing to it which has delayed the seat-sharing. But the talks have to be over soon since the date of filing nominations starts next week (December 23 to December 30)," an MNS leader said.
Talking to reporters, MNS leader and former MLA Nitin Sardesai said, "It is appropriate to say that the talks are in final stages but it is difficult to say when it will be officially announced. I can only say that all sides are putting efforts to complete the talks and they are working towards it."
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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab met Raj Thackeray to discuss seat-sharing.
A Sena (UBT) leader said talks are in final stages and there is no hurdle in the seat-sharing agreement.
"The two brothers are expected to officially announce the alliance between the two parties on Monday in a public event or through a press conference that will set the tone for the civic body polls," he said.
Raj Thackeray quit the undivided Shiv Sena blaming Uddhav for his exit in 2005 and floated the MNS in 2006. They had been political rivals since then.
However, after the drubbing of their parties in the Maharashtra assembly polls in 2024 - the Sena (UBT) won 20 seats, while MNS drew a blank - both leaders decided to put behind their political acrimony and find a common ground for survival.
Over the past few months, the two cousins shared the stage or were spotted at public forums together multiple times for various reasons.
The cousins publicly ended their two-decade-long estrangement in July, where they addressed a joint rally. At the event, Uddhav said they have come together to stay together.
