Left demands army deployment to contian Orissa violence

Bhubaneswar,Sep 01 (UNI) A four-member Left parliamentary delegation led by CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupa, today demanded that Army should be called in to contain the ongoing violence in the riot-hit areas in Orissa.

Mr Dasgupta urged the Centre to intervene and invoke the provision of the constitution to protect the lives of the minority in the state saying that whatever was happening in Kandhmal was the repetition of Gujrat incident.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr Dasgupta said already 13 of the total 30 districts are now under the grip of communal violence and the state police were acting in a highly partisan manner as the BJP was an alliance partner to the coalition government in Orissa.

He also demanded a CBI probe into the incident stating that the police would not be able to crack down the killers of VHP leader Swami Laxmananada Saraswati and the largescale violence continuing unabated in the aftermath of the killing of Swamiji.

The Left party parliamentary delegation besides Mr Dasgupta consisted of three other members-- Tapan Sen (CPIM), Suresh Kurup (CPIM) and C K Chandrappan(CPI). They also demanded a ban on the activities of the VHP and Bajarang Dal in Orissa and the ''Asti Kalas Yatra'' of Swamiji.

To a question, Mr Dasgupta denied the role of the Maoists in the killing of Swami Laxmananada Saraswati stating that so far no probe or investigation had come to the conclusion of the involvement of the Maoists in the killing of Swamiji.

He demanded that the Chief Minister should immediately convene an all party meeting and take initiative of an all party peace committee meeting to defuse the tension prevailing in many parts of the state.

Mr Dasgupta said the left Parliamentary delegation wanted to visit the riot-hit Kandhmal for an on the spot probe but the state government refused to give permission which was unheard of.

Coming down heavily on the Naveen Patnaik government, the CPI leader said it was more shocking and surprising that VHP leader Prabin Bhai Tagodia was allowed to visit Kandhmal but the left parliamentary delegation was denied permission.

This clearly indicated the government was trying to hide something on the situation in the riot hit Kandhmal, Mr Dasgupta said adding that the delegation would submit a report to the President and the Prime Minister on the prevailing situation in Kandhmal and other parts of Orissa.

UNI DP KK RN1844