Maoists Kill RSS Leader in Kandhamal
Kandhamal, the venue of the worst anti-Jesuit violence the country has ever witnessed was back in the news on Thursday, a day after armed Maoists gunned down a Hindu leader in the trouble torn district.
The incident threatens the fragile peace in this Orissa district that shot to infamy after bloody clashes erupted here in the aftermath of the slaying of a noted anri-conversion proponent and top Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
“About 15 to 20 Maoists killed Prabhat Panigrahi in Rudiguma village Wednesday night,” district Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar was quoted as saying by correspondents.
Panigrahi, a block head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was arrested for alleged involvement in the communal riots that rocked Kandhamal in August-September last year.
Panigrahi had been out on bail since earlier this month.
The incident is sure to send paranoia graphs soaring in Kandhamal as memories of the carnage that left at least 38 dead and some 25000 homeless are yet to be plastered with time.
Kumar says that policemen on the way to the scene of crime were facing tremendous difficulty as the Maoists had blocked the roads by felling trees along the way.
