Protests against EU team's Kandhamal visit, five held

BHUBANESWAR: Five Bajrang Dal activists have been held for staging protests against a European Union (EU) delegation that will visit Orissa's Kandhamal district to interact with riot victims.

The Bajrang Dal workers were detained on Tuesday evening from the airport here, police said.

The slogans began shortly after the 11-member EU delegation, which is scheduled to visit Kandhamal district on Thursday, landed in Bhubaneswar. The team was whisked away from the airport amidst tight security while the protesters were nabbed.

The EU delegation is scheduled to meet senior state officials on Wednesday before heading to Kandhamal, about 200 km from here.

The district had witnessed widespread violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram on Aug 23, 2008.

The VHP, Bajrang Dal has demanded that the visit be scrapped as it could create fresh tension in the region that is now returning to normalcy.