Francis Induwar - the last journey

The funeral of inspector Francis Induwar, who was killed by Naxals on Tuesday, was held in Ranchi amidst anger at the Naxal atrocity.

He may have been killed while performing his duty, but all senior policemen and politicians of the state gave the funeral a miss.

The presence of senior politicians and policemen was needed, as much to support the family, as to bolster the sagging morale of a grieving and angry police force.

"I will not work till I get adequate security. The job of the Special Branch is to track Naxals, but we are made to do many more jobs. This has to stop," said one of the cops present at the funeral.

Anger grew as the post-mortem report emerged: It said Francis Induwar was beheaded 12 hours before his body was found.

This is the 12th killing by Naxals in Jharkhand in the last one month, which is humiliating for the Centre. The Naxal policy of the Centre has acquired an aggressive edge over the last few months.

CID special branch Inspector Francis Induwar’s body was found on the Ranchi-Bundu Highway on Tuesday morning. His head had been severed from his body. Induwar was abducted by the Naxals while out shopping in a market in Jharkhand's Khunti district on September 30. (NDTV)

Lying next to Induwar’s body - a poster in red. A signed proclamation by the Naxals that the CID Inspector was “given the death sentence”. (NDTV)

Days ago, he looked like this. A service photograph of the murdered policeman, Francis Induwar. (NDTV)

Hope turns to despair. Till the body was found, Induwar’s family members held out some hope that he would be released by the Naxals. (NDTV)

A keening relative falls to the ground on hearing about Induwar's death. (NDTV)

The ink has spread on the poster that gives an idea on why the Naxals abducted and killed Induwar. Till Sunday, there were reports that they were negotiating with the government for the release of their leaders in exchange for the abducted cop. The government was reported to have refused the swap, but Home Minister P Chidambaram said categorically that there had been no demand for swap of prisoners.

Kobad Ghandy, whose release the Naxals were reportedly demanding. Ghandy was arrested last month in Delhi. Intelligence officials accuse him of being a member of the politburo of the banned Communist Party of India (CPI-Maoist), and one of the country's most-wanted Naxals. Ghandy, educated at Doon School and in London, was allegedly in charge of popularizing the Naxal movement in cities, and abroad. (PTI)

Chattradhar Mahato was arrested on September 26, near Lalgarh in West Bengal. Mahato, leader of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities had been missing since June. Mahato stands accused of lending Maoist support to the tribals in the area to help them take control of Lalgarh. He is one of the three leaders the Naxals want released. Intellectuals in Kolkata are supporting Mahato too, and have accused the police and the government of not having enough evidence against him. (PTI)

Chandra Bhushan Yadav was arrested over the weekend near Hooghly. He has 16 cases against him and police officials say he used to operate mainly in the forests of Jharkhand but had recently moved to Bengal. He is the last of the trio of leaders that the Naxals reportedly wanted released in exchange for Induwar.