Peace talks amid violence

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Bhubaneswar, Sept. 28: A day after chief minister Naveen Patnaik visited the strife-torn district of Kandhamal, tribal leaders under the banner of Kui Samaj Unnnayan Samiti today went into a huddle to discuss the ongoing crisis even as reports of sporadic incidents of violence trickled in. Hooligans torched five houses at Kupaguda and three at Malipada under G Udaygiri police station yesterday night, while some houses were burnt at Lamungia under Raikia police station this morning. Police recovered three more decomposed bodies from the Badasalunki river in Phulbani today. “One of them is of an unidentified elderly woman,” said Kandhamal superintendent of police Praveen Kumar. Although violence is still continuing in the district, the tribal leaders vehemently criticised the arrest of “innocent” tribals at the meet at Chakapad today and demanded immediate arrest of those involved in Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati’s killing. “First the Swamiji’s killers should be arrested. Only then should the police arrest the tribals. Many of them, if involved in the riots, will then voluntarily surrender,” Lambodar Kahara, the leader of the organisation, said. Today’s meeting assumes significance because this has been the first time that the leaders of the Samiti agreed to meet after the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on August 23. More than 100 leaders of the organisation primarily discussed the means and ways to sort out problems and restore peace in the region with immediate effect. Unanimously appreciating the sops declared by the government, they said the ongoing violence was a stumbling block in the road to development. The state government’s decisions to recruit tribal youths as police, solve land disputes through camp courts and open eight new tehsils were lauded. The leaders were disappointed over Naveen not holding a dialogue with them during his visit, but they were happy with his wish to have an open dialogue with them at Bhubaneswar at a convenient time. The chief minister had yesterday announced several measures, including verification of caste certificates taken up on a war footing and deployment of 10 police inspectors in the district specifically, to end the crisis in Kandhamal.