Orissa Government must apprehend forthwith killers of Venerable Swami Lakshmananandaji - Ashok Singhal

New Delhi, October 02, 2008 - Furious over the failure of the Orissa Government in apprehending any assassin of Ven. Swami Lakshmananandaji Saraswati, Shri Ashok Singhal, International President of VHP said, "It is a matter of grave concern of all Hindus in India & abroad that Christians dared to assassinate Ven. Swami Lakshmananandaji - a Hindu icon of Orissa and revered Dharmacharya of India - on August 23, 2008. I met the Chief Minister of Orissa Shri Navin Patnaik a month ago with clinching evidences of Christian involvement in the assassination and urged him to apprehend the culprits. The date the X'ians chose for the heinous act had a loud statement - that is, it was Sri Krishna Janmashtami - one of the most auspicious days of Hindu calendar - and it was also the foundation day of Vishva Hindu Parishad, and, the Christians wanted to dare the Hindu society on that day by offering to Jesus for his pleasure the assassinated bodies of Hindu monks. But the State Government has not yet apprehended any X'ian mercenary and/or accomplice. It is because of the influence of the Church and their NGOs. The government has arrested hundreds of Hindus, but practically no Christian. I requested the Chief Minister to take under his command directly the entire enquiry module regarding the case that has wide implications and apprehend the culprits at the earliest. But, the new Director General of Police - Orissa is indiscriminately arresting leaders of Hindu organizations that are not related to any case. Those must be released forthwith whom the government has arrested with political motivation. We wish that normalcy returns to Orissa as soon as possible. But, it appears that the government itself is not interested in the return of normalcy, as it is interested in giving the culprits a free run. As long as the over-ground kingpin of the assassination conspiracy - Mr. Radhakant Nayak is not apprehended, the deep roots of the conspiracy and the faces of the remote kingpins that outsourced the assassination module cannot be unearthed, and, consequently, the situation won't become normal. The government must remember that Ven. Swami Lakshmananandaji - a high-stature Dharmacharya of the country coming from a Tribal region of Orissa, a socio-cultural worker par excellence whose activities always remained aligned with the Fundamental Duties under Article 51A of the Constitution of India, who rightly opposed aggressive religious conversions through force, fraud and inducement, who was particularly against the entry of foreign-funded Missionaries in the "scheduled areas" of the country as that violated the indigenous culture, traditions and moorings of the Tribal people, who was for 'propagation' of religion under Art. 25(1) of Constitution (this right is for Indian citizens only), but rightly quoted the Supreme Court ruling that 'propagation' does not mean 'right to convert', who quoted the Niyogi Commission Report and the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act & Rules, 1987 & 1989 against conversions, and who was an uncompromising protagonist of robust nationalism, has been assassinated by the Christians." Shri Singhal asked the Government of Orissa that "for the cause of peace, it must be up & doing in apprehending the assassins and their accomplices at the earliest.