Congress for CBI probe into Kandhamal riots

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KalingaTimes Correspondent
Bhubaneswar, Jan 14: Orissa unit of the Congress on Monday demanded a CBI inquiry into the last month's communal violence in Kandhamal district of the State.

Senior leaders of the party who visited the violence-hit areas told reporters at a press conference here that a speedy and fair probe into the violence would be possible only if the CBI was given charge of the investigation.

Former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal who led a fact finding committee of the party to Kandhamal squarely blamed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the district administration for the violence.

The administration and the VHP activists had hatched a conspiracy for causing the violence, he alleged.

The district had witnessed large scale violence from December 24 to 27 during which three persons were killed, a number of churches were vandalised and hundreds of houses were burnt down.

Biswal also demanded suspension of the then Collector and Superintendent of Police of Kandhamal. Both the officials had been transferred in the wake of the violence.

The Congress leader also demanded better relief measures for the victims of the violence who had lost their property and houses.

Meanwhile, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Manmohan Samal visited the riot hit villages and met the people in the relief camps.

A team of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders is scheduled to visit the violence affected areas of Kandhamal on Tuesday.