The Vishwa Hindu Parishad observed the first death anniversary of the slain VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in Kandhamal on Thursday, the day of the Janmashtami festival, amid tight security and a bandh call given by the Maoists.
Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and his four disciples were killed by some unidentified miscreants at the Jalespeta ashram on August 23 last year which coincided with the Janmashtami festival.
The killing of the Swami had led to an outbreak of communal riots in the district.
The Kandhamal district administration had turned down the VHP's request to hold a silent rally on the Janmashtami to avert the occurrence of any possible untoward incident. “We have not allowed anybody to hold any rally because of the volatile situation in Kandhamal district”, said district collector Kishan Kumar.
Police said they have tightened the security measures in the district. As many as 54 platoons of police forces were deployed in the sensitive places of the district. Ten check posts were also erected by the police to check the entry of the vehicles. The vehicles were stopped in several places including Raikia, Shankarakhola and Baburia while the business establishments and shops downed their shutters in the fear of the Maoists. The Maoists had pasted several posters which revealed the intention of the red rebels to call a bandh on the Janmashtami festival. Police, however, suspected the threat posters to be the handiwork of some miscreants.
