Judicial Commission seeks state action to stop Kandhamal violence

BHUBANESWAR: Retired justice Sarat Chandra Mohaptra, who is heading the one-man judicial commission probing into the last year���s Kandhamal ethno-religious clashes, has asked the Orissa government to settle land, fake caste certificate and conversion issues to bring peach in the strife-torn Kandhamal.

Submitting the 28-page interim report to the state government, justice Mohapatra made it clear that it would take at least two years to bring out the final report.

���Discontent in Kanhdamla is largely due to land belonging to tribals frisked away by non-tribals, facke caste certificates and conversion issues. I have suggested the state government to immediately ensure return of lands taken away by non-tribals to tribals. Besides, there should be a door-to-door survey to verify the fake certificate cases. Last but not the least is the state government should enforce Freedom of Religion Act with certain amendments to address the conversion issue���, Justice Mohapatra on Friday told ���The ET���.

Justice Mohapatra is probing into the events and circumstances leading to the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and incidents of the violence in its aftermath.

At least 41 people were killed in sectarian violence that followed the assassination by Saraswati and four of his followers allegedly by the Maoists at Jaleshapata in Kandhamal on August 23, 2008.

Although the contents of the interim reports could not be ascertained, sources in the government said the commission examined an estimated three hundred affidavits filed by various stakeholders while preparing the interim report.

The judicial probe, the sources informed, would include the role, conduct and responsibilities of individuals, organisations, groups and agencies in precipitating and committing the crimes.

Besides, the commission would also investigate whether the measures taken, quantum of force used in handling the situation was adequate.
The commission held several rounds of discussions with district officials and senior

police officers in Phulbani (district headquarters of Kandhamal) and visited Jaleshapata Ashram, where Laxmanananda Saraswati and his followers were killed by the miscreants before proceeding to the troubled areas for probe.

He also examined the reasons of discontentment and differences between the local scheduled caste and scheduled tribes over land and religion. Over 650 persons allegedly involved in the communal violence had been arrested and one has recently been convicted.