Hindus, Christians divided in Orissa | The new converts

Kandhamal: It was the killing of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati that sparked the communal violence in Kandhamal, Orissa. Though the police first blamed it on the Naxals but soon they were silent.

After gunning down Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and his followers the killers left behind a note. It said the swami was being killed for his alleged role in last year’s communal riots in Kandhamal.

The note was signed by Azad, state committee member of the Naxals, and prompted the state police to initially blame the attack on the Naxals.

But then possibly under the pressure from the coalition partner BJP, the government backtracked.

"A judicial enquiry is going on and regarding who killed the swami will be known only after these investigation reports come,” says Chief Minister Orissa Naveen Patnaik.

Swami Laxmanada's followers do not believe that he was killed by Naxals. The swami had been attacked nine times in the past by people opposed to his alleged re-conversion activities. His followers say there are even more reasons to suspect the Christian community on the attack.

"Swamiji used to work for the poor and the Naxals we believe fight for the cause of the poor. Then why should Naxals kill him. We do not believe what the police say,” says Prashan Acharya Chakapada Ashram Jagabandhu Das.

A top official involved in the investigation told CNN-IBN that the police suspect a few converted Christians in the Bansadhara Division of the Naxal group.

But he said the killing in no way appear to be part of any larger conspiracy against Hindus. Moreover Christian community leaders too have been strongly condemning the killings.

“These are just baseless allegations against the Christians. We too demand that those who killed swami should be punished severely. But do not link the wrong doings of some criminals to the entire community,” says National President Global Council of Indian Christians Sajan K George.

So far four people have been detained on the swami killing case. The case has been taken over by a special investigating police team from Bhubaneswar.

The Naxals have been active in these forests of Kandhamal for past many decades. But never before they had attacked any religious place and that is why none of the followers of swami believe that the Naxals had attack the ashram.