Date:20/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/20/stories/2008122055941500.htm

National

Sangh Parivar calls off Orissa bandh

Special Correspondent

BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders meet Chief Minister

BHUBANESWAR: The Sangh Parivar on Friday called off its proposed Orissa bandh on December 25, the Christmas Day.

The bandh was called off after a delegation comprising leaders from both the Sangh Parivar and Bharatiya Janata Party met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at his residence in the evening.

The Christian community had expressed apprehension that a Statewide bandh on the Christmas Day would create communal tension in riot-hit Kandhamal district and other areas.

CM’s assurance

The members of the delegation that met Mr. Patnaik include president of Lakshmanananda Saraswati Shrandhanjali Samiti Ratnakar Chaini, Laxmikant Dash of the Vanvasi Kalyan Samiti, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra, BJP MP from the State Dharmendra Pradhan, and BJP Orissa unit president Suresh Pujari.

According to Mr. Pradhan, the Samiti decided to call off the proposed bandh after Mr. Patnaik assured the delegation that the government would take all possible steps to ensure arrest of all those who were involved in the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Lakshmanananda Saraswati.

The Samiti had on November 15 announced that it would observe a bandh across the State on December 25 if the State government failed to arrest the killers of Lakshmanananda by December 15.

The Samiti, a Sangh Parivar outfit formed in memory of the slain VHP leader, had stuck to its stand although four persons were arrested in the case on December 14 taking the total number of arrests in the case to seven.

Statement in Assembly

Subsequently, the Chief Minister had also made a statement in the State Assembly that no bandh would be permitted on the Christmas Day.

But the Samiti had again reiterated that it would go ahead with its plans “because the real killers of the VHP leader had not been arrested so far”.

The killing of the VHP leader in Kandhamal on August 23 had led to large scale anti-Christian violence in the tribal-dominated district as well as other parts of the State.

The Christmas celebrations were also marred in Kandhamal last year as communal violence broke out following an alleged attack on the VHP leader on December 24.