A commission probing the killing of Laxamananda Saraswati and the violence in Kandhamal in its aftermath last year, has stated this in its report.
A commission probing the killing of Laxamananda Saraswati and the violence in Kandhamal in its aftermath last year, was today told that activists of RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal were allegedly involved in setting afire a police jeep and government offices during a bandh.
"I perceive that members of RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal were involved in setting fire to a police jeep and offices of the Revenue Inspector (RI) and Additional Tehsildar at Khajurpada in Kandhamal," Gobind Chandra Sethi, Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Phulbani told justice SC Mohapatra during cross examination.
Stating that the three outfits organised a bandh on August 25, 2008, two days after killing of Saraswati, he said, "Since the RSS, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal had given a bandh call, it was obvious that they torched police jeep and government offices".
The SDPO, however, failed to name the Sangh Parivar members who set fire to the police jeep and government offices. The police officer also told the panel that two BJP leaders, then ministers-- Surama Padhy and Golak Bihari Nayak -- had visited the district during the bandh on August 25.
"While returning to Khajuriapada after escorting the ministers, the miscreants set fire to my jeep," he said, adding that the bandh organisers cleared road blockade for movement of the ministers vehicle. However, the SDPO said that he had no knowledge if members of the Sangh Parivar were involved in torching of Gochhapada police station where one policeman was killed.
"I recall that tribals were mostly involved in setting fire on the police station at Gochhapada," he said, adding that as investigating officer of the incident, he had checked antecedents of the miscreants and found no link with the Sangh Parivar.
The police officer said alleged fake certificate and land grabbing issues aggravated the violence in which about 40 people were killed besides, burning of thousands of houses and damage to churches. As many as 68 riot cases were registered under four police station areas in Kandhamal, he said.
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