State police was unaware of Maoist threat on Saraswati: Ex-DGP

Bhubaneswar: The Orissa government and the police were unaware that Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was on the hit-list of Maoists who claimed to have killed the VHP leader with his four associates on August 23 last year in Kandhamal district.

This was stated by former Director General of Police Gopal Chandra Nanda on Monday when cross-examined before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry probing the killing of Saraswati and large-scale violence thereafter.

Since we did not have any input on Saraswati being the target of Maoists, our security arrangement was not of that order, Nanda stated before the Commission headed by justice Sarat Chandra Mohapatra.

Though security was provided to Saraswati, it was not enough to counter a Maoist attack, he said.

Claiming that there was no negligence on part of the state government or the police, Nanda said that the district police did not anticipate that Maoists would attack Saraswati.

The brutal murder of the VHP leader on August 23, 2008 led to large-scale violence in Kandhamal where about 40 people were killed and over 4,000 houses destroyed besides churches and prayer houses.

Rejecting the allegation of negligence, Nanda said the police had made security arrangements keeping in view the threat on Saraswati's life from the people who were opposed to his activities.

I am certain that the Kandhamal police with available resources and manpower took careful steps to tackle the riot, he said, adding that it was not true that the state government had not taken any step to protect the lives of minorities in the riot-hit district

Replying to a question, the former DGP under whose tenure the riot took place said that non-availability of adequate CRPF jawans to tackle riots might be a coincidence.

Three Inspector Generals of Police, Arun Sarangi (Law and Order), Arun Ray (Crime Branch) and IG (law and Order) Pradip Kapoor submitted affidavits related to the case before the Commission.

DGP Manmohan Prahara, who had submitted his affidavit before the Commission on Saturday, would be cross-examined on October 6 as he was attending official meetings at Delhi, Justice Mohapatra said.

The statements of the former DGP have thrown light on the Saraswati killing.

This will help the Commission in proceeding in its probe, he said.