Two years after his death, the remains of 22-year-old Badru Madavi lie preserved in a village in Chhattisgarh in a large pit using herbs, salt and medicinal oil wrapped in white shroud and plastic.
In Remote Bastar Village, a Young Man s Body Is Preserved as Symbol of Quest for Justice
In March last year, 22-year-old Badru Madvi was killed in an encounter while out collecting mahua flowers. Villagers desperately hold on to his decomposed remains, determined to prove his killing was murder.
Badru Madvi s wife breaks down as the wooden lid is removed from over his body for the first time in one year. Photo: Sukanya Shantha/The Wire
Rights04/May/2021
Gampur (Bijapur, Chhattisgarh): As the temperature began to soar mid-morning, six men briskly dug up some flattened mud in Gampur village, nestled deep inside the Dokapara forest at the hilly cusp of Dantewada and Bijapur districts in Chhattisgarh. The men first dug out about a foot of loose red earth and then delicately pulled out a thin, evenly spread tarpaulin sheet. The excavation continued. Two feet deeper, they extracted several flat wooden planks placed over a deep crater.