Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Mar 4: By lending their helping hand to help dispose off the body of an aged man from Koila village, who has no one to look upon except his only son, Kadaba police station house officer, Prakash Devadiga, and other personnel of the station showed how police can become people-friendly through humanitarian initiatives.

The lifeless body of Asalappa (80), son of Pananiswamy from Jambadahalli in Tarikere taluk, Chikkamagaluru district, was found lying by the roadside at Gulgodi in Koila village. The locals including distant relatives of the man dithered from handing the mortal remains of the aged man because of the fact that the Nema of a Daiva was to be held the next day in the village. The police then helped Ravi to lift and carry the body to the graveyard and perform cremation.

Ravi had come to this village, married Deela, daughter of Gangayya Poojary from Gulgodi in Koila after falling in love with her a few years ago. Rather than going back to his native place, he had decided to settle down near the house of his father-in-law by building a house of his own in the site provided by Deela's father. His father, Asalappa, too shifted base here. Both Asalappa and Ravi basically belonged to fishermen community.

Asalappa worked in a bar at Uppinangadi. After the bar was closed, he used to work as coolie around Koila. On Friday afternoon, he had left home by telling his son that he would come back after visiting his native place. But on Saturday morning, his body was found lying at Pallattaru near Gulgodi.

It is said that the people of the village were hesitant to touch the body also because Ravi, who is lazy and has the habit of getting into trouble, also is addicted to liquor and is involved with petty thefts. The people suspected his hand behind the death of his father and hence were not forthcoming to dispose off the body. After coming to know that the body of the senior citizen was lying unattended near a hillock for long, Kadaba police arrived on the spot. Police sub-inspector, Prakash Devadiga, assistant sub-inspector, Ravi, and home guards volunteer, Sandesh, brought the body to the village from a desolate place by scaling two hillocks.

This incident has been widely reported in social media and the police have been receiving accolades in liberal doses.