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VHP regrets Orissa incident
By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 19. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today owned up its acts of vandalism in Bhubaneswar, where its activists and those of the Bajrang Dal and the Durga Vahini had ransacked the Assembly premises. It ``strongly condemned'' the incident and expressed ``deep regrets'' to the people of Orissa. At the same time, it blamed the police for ``misbehaving'' with members of the Durga Vahini, saying this had ``enraged'' the Bajrang Dal volunteers.

The ``confession'' could embarrass the BJP, whose spokesperson, V.K. Malhotra, even today denied that VHP and Bajrang Dal volunteers had led the attack.

Presenting what they called the ``correct facts'', a joint statement by Sadanand Kakade and Omkar Bhave, joint general secretaries of the VHP, said, ``Regarding the incident on the premises of the Orissa Legislative Assembly at Bhubaneswar on March 16 irrespective of the causes which provoked the members of the VHP to damage public property... the VHP strongly condemns the said acts and expresses its deep regrets to the people of Orissa.'' The statement also appealed to all activists to maintain discipline.

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