The Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Shradhanjali Samiti on Tuesday said it will go ahead with plans of a state-wide Orissa shutdown on Christmas day to press for the arrest of the Swami’s killers. The statement came a day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said his government would not permit any bandh on December 25.
“Though more than four months have lapsed since the brutal killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati along with his four associates, the state government has failed to perform its statutory responsibility in bringing to book the killers and the conspirators. The deadline declared in this connection has come to an end,” said the press statement issued by the Samiti while urging the people of Orissa to observe a peaceful Bandh across the state on December 25.
Samiti Presiden Ratnakar Chaini while addressing the press in Bhubaneswar said the arrest of four persons in connection with the murder of the Swami on Sunday was “nothing but eyewash”.
He charged that Chief Minister Patnaik’s refusal to permit the Christmas day bandh was guided by the Church.
The dawn to dusk bandh, according to Chaini, would come into force at 0600 hours and terminate at 1800 hours on the same day.
Samiti activists also plan a 10 minute drum and cymbal cacophony to “wake up” the Patnaik administration.
Responding to a discussion on Kandhamal crisis in the state Assembly on Monday evening, the Chief Minister had said that no bandh will be permitted on December 25 and the government will come down heavily on anyone attempting to vitiate peace and harmony.
“Days of religious festivals of every community should be days of amity and goodwill. Orissa has a long history of communal harmony and peace. Let not the shocking and tragic incidents of communal violence that took place in December last year and August this year ever be repeated again,” Patnaik had said.
The Samiti, an organisation formed in the memory of the slain Swami had issued an ultimatum on November 15 saying it would observe Orissa bandh on December 25 if the state government failed to arrest those responsible for the assassination by December 15.
“Though more than four months have lapsed since the brutal killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati along with his four associates, the state government has failed to perform its statutory responsibility in bringing to book the killers and the conspirators. The deadline declared in this connection has come to an end,” said the press statement issued by the Samiti while urging the people of Orissa to observe a peaceful Bandh across the state on December 25.
Samiti Presiden Ratnakar Chaini while addressing the press in Bhubaneswar said the arrest of four persons in connection with the murder of the Swami on Sunday was “nothing but eyewash”.
He charged that Chief Minister Patnaik’s refusal to permit the Christmas day bandh was guided by the Church.
The dawn to dusk bandh, according to Chaini, would come into force at 0600 hours and terminate at 1800 hours on the same day.
Samiti activists also plan a 10 minute drum and cymbal cacophony to “wake up” the Patnaik administration.
Responding to a discussion on Kandhamal crisis in the state Assembly on Monday evening, the Chief Minister had said that no bandh will be permitted on December 25 and the government will come down heavily on anyone attempting to vitiate peace and harmony.
“Days of religious festivals of every community should be days of amity and goodwill. Orissa has a long history of communal harmony and peace. Let not the shocking and tragic incidents of communal violence that took place in December last year and August this year ever be repeated again,” Patnaik had said.
The Samiti, an organisation formed in the memory of the slain Swami had issued an ultimatum on November 15 saying it would observe Orissa bandh on December 25 if the state government failed to arrest those responsible for the assassination by December 15.
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