Taleban victim cremated in India

Hundreds of locals joined relatives at the cremation ground

Hundreds of people have attended the funeral of an Indian engineer who was killed by the Taleban in Afghanistan.

Some broke down when the five-year-old son of the dead man, K Suryanarayana, lit the pyre with his grandfather's help in the southern city of Hyderabad.

Suryanarayana's widow did not attend the cremation as she was in hospital recovering from a suicide attempt.

Another woman who claims to have been his second wife protested after the family barred her from the cremation.

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Afghanistan

The woman, Sapna, is also demanding compensation for herself and an eight-month-old girl who she claims is Suryanarayana's daughter.

The Bahrain-based company that employed Suryanarayana says it is seeking legal advice on the second woman's claim for compensation.

Beheaded

The telecommunications engineer was abducted by the Taleban in the troubled southern Afghan province of Zabul last Friday. His beheaded body was found two days later dumped by the side of a road.

The Taleban said they shot their hostage as he tried to escape. They had threatened to kill him unless India withdrew workers from Afghanistan.

India has said it will continue to provide assistance to Afghanistan.