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Swami Laxmanananda's murder Maoists split on communal lines By Debasis Tripathy in Bhubaneswar The new organisation is going to be formed by those Maoist ultras who oppose the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. These Maoist members have declared themselves the supporters of deceased Swamiji who dedicated his entire life for the service of the poor Vanvasis. The Orissa Crime Branch charge sheet against seven Kandhamal-based Christians in the killing of revered Swami Laxamanananda Saraswati and four others including a woman sannyasin, has vidicated the Bajrang Dal stand that the murder was the handiwork of local Church zealots. The Maoists might have been hired to provide ?logistic support? to the criminals behind the brutal murders, Orissa Crime Branch sources said. The Christian fanatics were uncomfortable with Swamiji because he was opposed to mindless forcible conversions carried out by the Christian missioners. The investigating agency mentioned in its charge sheet that a conspiracy was hatched much before the killing took place on August 23, 2008. While the Crime Branch says that the case is still open and the charge sheet is just preliminary, the people of Orissa are very much surprised to see the alleged influential conspirators behind the murders are still eluding the police net. While it is no secret that there exists a close missionary-Maoist nexus not only in Orissa but in several Naxal-infested states, there is a twist in the tale. After the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, the government of Orissa made an official statement regarding the involvement of Maoist ultras in the assassination of Swamiji while the experts fingered the church people working in Kandhamal. Hindu Jagaran Samukshya and VHP publicly demanded the arrest of some specified Christian-Maoist leaders including Congress MP Radhakant Nayak and Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda. Nayak who was an IAS officer, after his retirement became Member of Parliament from Congress Party, by getting the special patronage of party?s high command Sonia Gandhi for his outstanding endeavour in the field of proselytisation particularly in Kandhamal district of Orissa. But Nayak successfully managed to flee from the state capital immediately after Swamiji's murder. The Maoists have boycotted Sabyasachi Panda for his statement against Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. He has been sacked from his post for giving a clean certificate to the Congress MP Radhakant Nayak. A dozen of Maoist literature, circulated in different parts of the state by the main Maoist organisation namely People?s Liberation Group (PLG), has made it public that Panda is no more the state chief of Maoists in Orissa for his ?anti-organisational activities?. The PLG has categorically declared that Panda going beyond his limit ?has worked for a group of political people? and as a result it has been decided to create another organisation namely IDGA. The new organisation is going to be formed by those Maoist ultras who oppose the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. These Maoist members have declared themselves the supporters of deceased Swamiji who dedicated his entire life for the service of the poor Vanvasis. ?The Christian people are distributing huge money for converting Vanvasis in Kandhamal. A number of Christian NGOs are working in this field. No real developmental work has been done by the church and people are rotting in poverty, illness and vicious circle of illegal conversion. Who really exploits the innocent people?the Church or the Maoists??? asked the said Maoist literature. It is also stated in the literature that if Sabyasachi Panda works with Christian people, ?we will work for Hindus.? Regarding the much- published nun rape case, the literature demands the immediate arrest of one Pastor (a close ally of the victim nun) for the discloser of the reality. The ultras also disclose some bitter facts relating to rape committed by Christians of Hindu Vanvasis in Kandhamal. In some literature distributed in Raikia of Kandhamal, it has been alleged that Radhakant Nayak, Congress Party and Christian missionaries are responsible for riots in Kandhamal and Maoists had no enmity with Swamiji. If these widely-circulated Maoist literature is to be believed, the role of Radhakant Nayak and the sacked Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda in Kandhamal incident is evident. Intelligence sources said Panda, afraid of attacks from within, has turned fugitive and is busy trying to form a splinter group with Christian support. It would be interesting to see what is coming up next from red rebels while the police maintains that majority of their cadres around Kandhamal are converted dalit Christians.

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