Orissa HC directs Centre to send force for Kandhamal

Cuttack, Oct 1 (UNI) Orissa High Court today directed the Centre to take steps to deploy paramilitary forces as required by the state government following ongoing violent incidents in Kandhamal.

A division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Mr B S Chouhan and Justice B N Mohapatra issued the directives to the Centre while taking into consideration a letter, written by the Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seeking 43 companies of paramilitary force for the strife-torn Kandhamal.

The state government counsel had submitted before the court that though the Chief Minister on September 25 last requested the Centre to provide 43 companies of paramilitary force to Kandhamal, no decision had been taken in this regard by the Centre.

The counsel appearing on behalf of the Centre, however, assured the court that the government would take a decision and provide paramilitary force.

The division bench, which heard a petition, filed by the Utkal Christian Council, however, requested the Centre to provide the required force at the earliest in the wake of the prevailing situation in trouble-torn region.

The council had prayed for a CBI inquiry into the violence reported in the district in the aftermath of the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and compensation on the loss of life and property from the rioters.

MORE UNI DP SJC SV KN1952