Maoist leader claims they killed Swami

The communal strife in Kandhamal district today took a new turn with the Maoists corroborating the claim of their role in killing of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati whose death on August 23 has set off series of violence incidents against the Christians and their institutions in the district.

In an interview to a few television channels from his hideout in dense jungles, the Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda said, Maoists had punished Laxmananda Saraswati as he was trying to perpetuate atrocities against the minority community and disturbing the socio-cultural fabric in the district. It may be noted, soon after the killing of the VHP leader the Maoists had claimed responsibility for the incident through letters sent to different media houses.

The state government, on its part, had also blamed the Maoists for the incident following preliminary investigations. Even as these claims were being taken with a pinch of salt by different sections of people, Maoists leaders interview in the TV channels has further corroborated the suspicion of Maoist involvement in VHP leaders killing.

Meanwhile, with the recovery of another body from a river side near Phulabani, the district headquarter town, the official death toll in the strife-torn Kandhamal district has reached 36, even though the unofficial death toll is pegged at 43.

The deceased has been identified as Katheswar Digal of Shankarakhola and the person was missing since September 26, sources said. Officials on Sunday claimed that that the riot hit district was limping back to normalcy as no fresh untoward incident was reported in the last three days. "No untoward incident was reported anywhere in the district for the last three days and we are hoping that the district will be return to normalcy", Satyabrata Sahu, revenue divisional commissioner of the southern division, told Business Standard.

RP Koche, the deputy inspector general of police (southern range) said the district was tense but under total control. Police have so far arrested over 400 people for their alleged involvement in violence and 350 cases have been registered in different police stations. With the police launching a crackdown on suspected people involved in violence, over 150 have been arrested in the last three days, added Koche.

Prohibitory orders were still in force in the district even though no fresh incident of violence was reported. Also, the night curfew continued in nine towns of the district, including Phulabanai, sources informed. The district has been on the boil since August 23 in the aftermath of the killing of senior VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and his four followers.